U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro slammed a federal judge’s decision Monday to order the release of a woman accused of vandalizing the World War II Memorial in Washington last week.
“If anyone is a flight risk, it is certainly her,” Pirro, D.C.’s top prosecutor, said in a statement.
The Justice Department had asked that Melissa L. Farris, 41, be held in pretrial detention, saying it recovered evidence from her phone that showed she was searching online for bus and airline tickets on the evening the vandalism occurred.
Court records also say that Farris had purchased dish soap and spray paint shortly before the incident, and had been cited days earlier for camping on federal property. Her current address is listed in Kentucky, according to public records.
“In what world does it make sense to release a defendant charged with two federal felonies who has no ties to this community, holds a Kentucky driver’s license, has no home address, has been camping in Washington for several weeks, immediately after the crime searched for flights to Michigan, then traveled to Virginia, and claims to have friends in Ohio?” Pirro said in a statement.
A public defender representing Farris did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday.
On Thursday, part of the World War II Memorial on the National Mall was tagged with graffiti, and soapy bubbles overtook a fountain. Red graffiti spelled out “Clean hands dirty $” beneath the Atlantic Arch, and red and green paint was splattered on some of the granite stonework.
A day later, Farris was charged with two felonies: depredation against U.S. property and destruction of veterans’ memorials. Both charges carry a prison sentence of up to 10 years.
On Facebook, Farris had live-streamed herself at the memorial, including dropping an item into the fountain near its Atlantic Arch. “Oops,” she said in the recording. Then, she shook spray-paint cans and live-streamed herself adding graffiti to the granite.
After her arrest, law enforcement found a CVS Pharmacy receipt for two bottles of Dawn Ultra dish soap on Farris, the Justice Department wrote in its filing. Farris also told law enforcement that she bought three cans of spray paint from an art store in Northwest Washington earlier in the week, the filing states.
In its appeal for pretrial detention, the Justice Department argued Farris “disrespected and dishonored the heroic men and women that served our country during World War II.” President Donald Trump has also denounced the vandalism.
Friends of the National World War II Memorial, a nonprofit that preserves the memorial, said it was “deeply disturbed by the reported vandalism.”
On Monday, the Justice Department also said it would oppose a request by Farris to return her cellphone, with the agency saying it intends to use the contents of the phone at trial. It is also asking the judge to reconsider his rejection of electronic monitoring as a condition for Farris’s release.
As part of her release, Farris must stay away from the memorial and the District, except for court or pretrial activities, the Associated Press reported.
A preliminary hearing is set for Sept. 3.
Ben Conarck contributed to this report.
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