Two Arkansas sisters arrested over the vandalism of a public memorial to slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk are seeking donations online to cover legal fees, saying they were “doxxed,” fired and harassed after video of the incident went viral, as local officials condemned the episode and court records showed the women face felony counts in Benton County. The Benton County Sheriff’s Office said last week it had identified and arrested the suspects following a “swift investigation” into damage at the tribute assembled on the steps of the county courthouse in Bentonville, naming the women as Kerri Melissa Rollo, 23, and Kaylee Heather Rollo, 22. Both were booked on first-degree criminal mischief; Kaylee also faces an obstruction of governmental operations charge, according to the sheriff’s office. “Sheriff [Shawn] Holloway takes acts of vandalism, particularly those directed toward community memorials, very seriously,” the agency said. Local broadcasters and regional outlets reported the arrests on Wednesday after cellphone footage circulated widely showing two people tearing up handwritten notes and posters, scattering flowers and candles, and making obscene gestures beside the display for Kirk, who was shot dead on Sept. 10 during a campus appearance in Orem, Utah.
In a fundraiser posted on GoFundMe under the title “FIGHT AGAINST F4CISM HELP PAY FOR OUR LEGAL FEES,” organizer Kaylee Rollo wrote: “After the recent events [of] Charlie Kirk’s death, my sibling and I are being doxxed online and my sibling was fired from their job. This is direct violation of their first amendment rights and unconstitutional. This is unfortunate, but anything helps. Please help my sibling while they look for another job and stand against the tyranny that is creeping into the country.” The page was created on Sept. 16 and later updated with the all-caps message: “MY SIBLING AND I WERE ARRESTED FOR THIS PROTEST. WE HAVE BEEN THREATENED, DOXXED, HARASSED, AND FIRED. PLEASE CONSIDER DONATING FOR LEGAL COUNSEL AND COURT FEES.” As of Wednesday, the appeal listed Bentonville, Arkansas, as the organizer’s location and showed tens of hundreds of individual donations. The sisters are seeking $18,000 for legal expenses, according to summaries in national outlets that linked to or reproduced the fundraiser; the total rose rapidly after their arrests, then fluctuated as detractors posted critical comments alongside contributions.
Officials in Benton County publicly denounced the courthouse-steps incident while emphasizing that criminal charges—not speech—were at issue. “Everyone has a right to be able to express their freedom of expression. But what the issue is, is when you trample on someone’s memorial—the human act of grieving,” Benton County Justice of the Peace Joseph Bollinger told ABC affiliate 40/29 News, adding: “You’re not just trampling on their freedom of expression; you’re trampling on the memory of a person. You’re trampling on our Benton County values.” In social-media posts flagged by local newsrooms, the sheriff’s office shared booking photos and stills from the video that appeared to show one of the women amid the memorial giving a middle-finger gesture toward the person recording.
The video itself, widely reposted by broadcasters and national sites, shows a woman using profane language about Kirk as she stomps on candles and rips placards, while another woman picks up and discards tributes left by mourners. In several accounts that referenced the footage, one of the women was heard shouting “F— Charlie Kirk!” during the destruction; a separate clip circulated with the claim that Kirk “promot[ed] violence,” language reporters traced to the same sequence. Benton County authorities said the memorial had been set up by residents and local supporters after the killing was confirmed, and that deputies began reviewing images and canvassing shortly after the first calls about damage were logged.