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.
On the fundraising page, the sisters framed their conduct as protest protected by the First Amendment and contended that losing employment in the aftermath amounted to unconstitutional retaliation. “This is direct violation of their first amendment rights and unconstitutional,” the GoFundMe message reads, before asking supporters to “stand against the tyranny that is creeping into the country.” Legal experts interviewed in broader coverage of the case have noted that while individuals have extensive free-speech protections, criminal mischief statutes—such as those covering destruction of property or interference with official functions—can apply when memorial items and fixtures are damaged, and that employers in most U.S. states can lawfully terminate employment over off-duty conduct that draws public censure, subject to limited exceptions. (Authorities in Benton County have not publicly addressed the sisters’ employment status beyond the statements quoted above.)
The arrests were announced as crowds gathered in Arizona for a stadium memorial to Kirk that drew political dignitaries and tens of thousands of participants, part of a week of high-profile events, tributes and security incidents following the 31-year-old activist’s death. The Associated Press previewed the Glendale, Arizona, service at State Farm Stadium, home of the NFL’s Cardinals, noting the venue’s capacity and the private, paid rental arrangement for the event. Separate reports described municipal cleanup efforts after the stadium memorial and documented the volume of trash left on surrounding streets, footage that drew its own wave of criticism online. In the days before and after the service, law enforcement detailed multiple security responses, including the arrest of an armed man who entered the stadium grounds against instructions; prosecutors later said he carried a pistol, a revolver and several knives and was banned from the premises pending a court hearing.
The Benton County case is one of several vandalism investigations opened since Kirk’s killing. Police in Arizona separately arrested a 19-year-old man after bystanders restrained him outside Turning Point USA’s Phoenix-area headquarters, where another memorial had been set up; video of that arrest also circulated widely. Authorities in northwest Arkansas did not link their probe to any specific political group and did not allege a broader conspiracy, saying only that investigators moved quickly after citizens reported the courthouse incident and provided video.
National outlets covering the Bentonville arrests highlighted the women’s online plea and its reception. The Independent reported that the GoFundMe showed several thousand dollars raised within a day and that comments on the page included both supportive messages and denunciations from critics who opposed the sisters’ actions. A round-up by media and entertainment sites noted that contributions surpassed $10,000 early this week before moderating, and that the target goal remained $18,000 for attorney fees and court costs. A tabulation by AOL’s news portal and other outlets put the arrest date at Sept. 17 and repeated the sheriff’s statement about protecting memorials.
The women have not issued a separate public statement beyond what appears on the fundraiser, and no attorney of record has spoken on their behalf in coverage reviewed Wednesday. In the comments section of the GoFundMe, which displays the organizer’s name and city, the sisters posted periodic updates encouraging donations and referencing the “doxxing” they say followed the video’s spread on social networks. The sheriff’s office has not alleged threats by third parties in relation to the vandalism case and has limited public comment to the arrests and the general admonition against defacing memorials.
According to local TV reports, deputies first learned of the courthouse damage early in the week after the tribute was assembled by residents; a justice of the peace said in a Facebook note shared by broadcasters that the display went up on Sunday and was vandalized the following day. The sheriff’s office posted that both suspects were transported to the county jail and held pending a bond hearing; a follow-up segment by KNWA/FOX24 showed a graphic of the charges and re-aired the cellphone video in which two individuals are seen scattering candles and stepping on handwritten messages.
The memorial vandalism and subsequent arrests unfolded against the broader investigative timeline in Utah, where 22-year-old Tyler Robinson has been charged with aggravated murder and related counts in Kirk’s death. Robinson, arrested after a regional manhunt, remains in custody pending further proceedings, and prosecutors have said they intend to seek the death penalty; officials have not laid out a definitive motive. The killing prompted vigils and political statements nationwide and raised the security posture for large events associated with Kirk’s organization, Turning Point USA.
While online reaction to the Bentonville case has been polarized, local officials have centered their comments on community standards and the boundary between protest and property crime. “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,” Bollinger said, reiterating that mourners’ right to assemble a tribute at the courthouse did not grant others license to destroy it. The sheriff’s office said the case would be forwarded to prosecutors after detectives completed interviews and compiled digital evidence; the office did not provide a timeline for charging decisions beyond the counts already filed at booking.
The GoFundMe page remains active. Its text, including the lines “This is direct violation of their first amendment rights and unconstitutional” and “PLEASE CONSIDER DONATING FOR LEGAL COUNSEL AND COURT FEES,” captures the defense the sisters have staked out in public while their criminal case moves into the courts. Court calendars show that first appearances and preliminary settings in felony mischief cases in Benton County typically follow within days of arrest; bond conditions commonly restrict contact with victims and prohibit further disruptive conduct at government facilities. (The sheriff’s office has not disclosed the specific release conditions in this case.)
As the legal process plays out, the episode illustrates the speed at which local acts tied to national tragedies can be amplified and monetized online. Within hours of the courthouse footage appearing on social media, the pair were identified, arrested and booked; within days, the same network effects had delivered the sisters a large audience for their plea, even as officials insisted the matter was one of alleged criminal damage, not of political speech. “Sheriff Holloway takes acts of vandalism … very seriously,” the office said, as the women prepared their defense and the county weighed potential restitution and penalties in a case that began with candles and paper notes in a public square.
