A woman accused of vandalizing the World War II Memorial in Washington DC by spray painting the landmark and filling its fountain with bubbles has been released from jail.
Melissa Farris, of Elizabethtown, Kentucky, had been charged with committing a depredation against property of the United States and destruction of a veterans' memorial following the Aug. 13 incident.
She is accused of livestreaming herself as she spray painted the worlds "Clean Hands Dirty $" onto the memorial.
In her video streamed live on Facebook and Instagram, Farris said she would hold herself accountable for her actions. She turned herself in the following day.
"I am going to make these choices today and I will step foot into the courtroom, and I will wait to be arrested,"
she said, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia. "I am accountable for the things that I do and the choices that I make and our government needs to be accountable for their choices too.”
So why was she released from jail? Here's what we know.
World War II Memorial vandalism suspect released from jail
After her court hearing Monday, Farris was released under multiple court-imposed conditions, according to 7News.
She is required to stay out of DC except for court or pretrial business. If she goes into the city, she must stay away from the memorial.
Farris agreed to surrender her passport and not violate federal, state or local law as part of her release conditions. Additionally, she is not allowed to possess a gun or any illegal drugs.
But in a statement to The Washington Post, Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. Attorney for DC, said she does not agree with Farris being released.
“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. “If anyone is a flight risk, it is certainly her.”
Pirro previously referred to Farris' alleged actions as "a disgusting act and an insult to the Americans who fought and died for our country."
Faris is reportedly due back in court Sept. 3.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why Pirro says war memorial vandalism suspect shouldn't be out on bail
