Professor convicted of vandalizing NRA lobbyist’s home

“The motive here is that Mr. Cox works for the NRA; she doesn’t like that. That’s A woman was found guilty fine. She can exercise her Monday of spraying fake First Amendment right,” blood on the steps of the Assistant Commonwealth’s Alexandria, Virginia, home Attorney Maana Parcham of National Rifle Associa- said in Alexandria General tion lobbyist Chris Cox in District Court Monday. January. But the prosecutor said

Patricia Hill, a University Hill crossed the line into a of Nebraska-Lincoln sociol- criminal act by committing ogy professor, was ordered vandalism, adding the incito pay a $500 fine, not condent distressed Cox’s family. tact the Cox family, and stay “The Cox family is grate- 500 feet away from their ful to the commonwealth home. attorney’s office and the

If she does not comply, Alexandria Police Depart- she could owe another $500. ment for their role in hold-

She is also under a teming Ms. Hill accountable,” porary restraining order Elizabeth Locke, an attorthat bars her from Cox’s ney for the Cox family, said wife’s business and from in a statement.

NRA offices in Virginia and Cox testified that his two Washington, D.C. young children were home

And on Monday after at the time. He said he was court, Hill was served with called home by the police. a warrant for another van“Some sort of blood-like dalism charge, stemming substance was sprayed all from a similar incident in over our front steps,” he October. said.

Judge Donald Haddock Jr. found Hill guilty of misdemeanor destruction of property in a bench trial.

The incident occurred on the evening of Jan. 11. A private security guard working for Cox testified he saw Hill walk by first in a dark coat and hat, then later in exercise gear.

Surveillance video caught Hill spraying the stairs, according to the testimony of the guard, Wyatt Delaney. He said he recognized the woman from a photograph taken during a similar inci- dent in October.

Delaney described the spray as a “red, gel-like substance.”

Officer Ashley Tremble testified that after an arrest was made, Hill asked how the property was damaged and whether the owners had tried to clean the steps.

“She knew what she had done,” Parcham said.

Even if the substance was easily removed, the prosecutor argued, “it defaced the property.”

Hill plans to appeal, attorney Jon Bourdon said. It was dark and raining that night, and he maintained Delaney could not have reliably iden- tified Hill as the culprit.

“I think the evidence shows that there is certainly reasonable doubt as to who committed this offense,” Bourdon said.

In court, he suggested the vandal could have been one of two women who protested outside the Cox home in April.

Cox testified he had taken his family out of the house during that protest and would not recognize either woman.

The protests and vandal- ism are part of a rise in more aggressive anti-gun activism across the country, as advocates become frustrated with a lack of legislative progress.

The lobbyist is also asking for a protective order against Hill.

“There’s a credible and reasonable fear for safety of the family,” Locke said in court.

Had d ock, the j udge, imposed the temporary protective order until the civil case can be heard in August.

Melody Vaccaro, vice president of Nebraskans Against Gun Violence, came to support Hill.

She said Cox was a hypocrite for demanding prosecution and a protective order over fake blood while lobbying for open carrying of deadly weapons across the country.

“We think this is the NRA using the criminal justice system to reign terror on regular people,” Vaccaro said.