OAN Staff Katherine Mosack and Sophia Flores
6:19 PM – Thursday, May 21, 2026
An elderly San Diego County man known for covering his house in American flags and MAGA memorabilia remains in critical condition after being severely beaten outside of his property.
Escondido police arrested 32-year-old Thomas Caleb Butler at approximately 2:15 p.m. on Wednesday on suspicion of attempted murder. The victim, 69-year-old Army veteran Kerry Sheron, is the owner of the local landmark widely referred to as the Escondido “Trump House.”
While Sheron has frequently documented threats and vandalism targeting his home, this assault marks the first time the hostility has escalated into severe physical violence.
In a March video posted to his Facebook page, Sheron gave a brief tour of the perimeter fence outside of his home, showing the repair work required after an anonymous vandal tore down his banners of the American Flag and President Donald Trump.
“We found flags — big ones — 200 feet down the road, flags all over the middle of the road,” he said. “We put new banners up right away, all new stuff. We love America. I’m a veteran.”
In a separate video, he filmed damage done to the property, showing scraps of flags strewn about the sidewalk.
Authorities revealed that the Wednesday afternoon attack left Sheron with profound injuries. Law enforcement cordoned off the intersection of East Mission Avenue and Buchanan Street, where forensic teams documented blood on the curb. A utility worker who acted as a Good Samaritan and attempted to intervene to stop the beating was also injured during the fray.
Butler, who lives around the corner from the property, fled the scene on foot but was cornered and arrested by responding officers roughly a half-mile away near Begonia Street.
He was booked into the Vista Detention Facility and faces a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted on the felony first-degree attempted murder charge.
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