A 21-year-old William & Mary student has been arrested for allegedly vandalizing a pro-life display in the Sunken Garden last week.
Daniel Sheaffer, of Sterling, Virginia, has been charged with one misdemeanor count of destruction of property in connection with the removal of the pro-life display Jan. 22, according to William & Mary spokesperson Suzanne Seurattan.
Sheaffer was served with the misdemeanor warrant Monday night. He is scheduled for an initial appearance in the Williamsburg-James City County General District Court Feb. 6.
Seurattan confirmed Sheaffer is enrolled at William & Mary.
“The students who set up the display followed the university’s process and protocol for these types of demonstrations,” Seurattan said. “Vandalism or destruction of property is never an acceptable form of expression and clearly a violation of university policy. We are grateful for the hard work of William & Mary Police in this case and pleased an arrest has been made.”
William & Mary student group Advocates for Life President Katherine Beck and several other group members put up the 3,000-popsicle stick display late Jan. 21 to mark 45 years since the Roe V. Wade decision, which affirmed women’s legal right to abortion.
By 1 a.m. Jan. 22, the display’s popsicle sticks had been removed and several associated signs had been ripped up and put in nearby garbage cans.
Beck told WYDaily the display’s popsicle sticks represented the 2,538 “lives lost each day” resulting from abortion.
Advocates for Life had been planning the display since the fall semester, and had talked to administrators in the William & Mary Law School and the undergraduate administration.
Last week, Beck said she planned to put up another display within the next week or two – but with more security.
Beck did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday night.
