Man Accused Of Damaging Iwo Jima Statue Granted Bond

A man accused of damaging an Iwo Jima memorial at Marine Corps Base Quantico has been granted bond. A judge in Virginia agreed to a $2,500 bond for Miguel Alonso Maldonado Soriano on Monday (October 26). Soriano was arrested last week after police officers reportedly observed him using a sledgehammer to damage the memorial.

The Prince William County Police Department said officers were called to the statue late Tuesday night (October 20) and found Soriano vandalizing the monument with a sledgehammer. According to police, Soriano caused hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage to the statue and removed the head of one of the depicted soldiers. He has been charged with felony destruction of property, trespassing with intent to damage property, and felony injury to a monument.

Soriano was initially held without bond pending a court appearance. WTOC reported that there is no word on a motive for the vandalism. Additionally, KRCRTV noted that ICE has lodged a detainer for Soriano, who reportedly entered the country illegally from Mexico in 1999.