The Texas State Capitol recently became the unlikely scene of an apparent burglary. The man accused of vandalizing and breaking into the Capitol building was arrested and charged with criminal mischief and burglary. He is currently still in police custody as no bond has been set since the filing of his state crime charges.
An area police officer allegedly spotted the 22-year-old man approach the Capitol building at some point in the early hours of the morning. From there the man supposedly used a temporary walkway to access construction scaffolding. He then climbed the scaffolding in order to reach the second floor of the building, at which point he is believed to have broken in through a window. It is not clear if the window was unlocked or if there was another method used to enter the building.
Before police arrived inside of the building, a portrait of a former governor from the Civil War-era was vandalized. Police did not release details regarding how the portrait was harmed. After arresting the young man, he was booked into a local jail around 3:30 in the morning.
Even seemingly minor state crime charges can have severe consequences for convictions. If convicted on his charges of criminal mischief and burglary, the defendant could be facing a four-year sentence in a state jail — two years for each charge. In order to minimize these types of consequences, most defendants in Texas elect to begin preparing their defense as early on as possible. This typically begins with a thorough review of all charges and evidence under the careful guidance of a defendant’s respective counsel.
Source: CBS DFW, “Fort Worth Man Arrested After Break-In At Texas Capitol“, Oct. 9, 2016