Julio Perez, a 22-year-old Laredo man, has been arrested and charged for the desecration of The Alamo. Criminal mischief charges have been filed, and Perez was jailed on a $20,000 bond, San Antonio police officials said, according to The San Antonio Express-News.
Thankfully, a tour guide and a security officer were on hand and caught Perez before he finished carving his name in the 250-year-old interior limestone buttress wall of the Monk's Burial Room, a side room in the Alamo's mission church.
"In Texas, we take our history seriously and consider The Alamo to be sacred ground," Alamo Rangers Chief Mark Adkins said at a news conference at the historic site. "Desecration of any part of these hallowed grounds, especially the walls of the Alamo Chapel, will not be tolerated, and we will support prosecution to the fullest extent of the law."
Adkins went on to say that Perez and a female companion attempted to escape, but an Alamo ranger caught the offender, handcuffed him and called the police.
Perez was carving his name at the time he was apprehended. The guide found a 3-inch by 1-inch carving that read "Julio" on the limestone wall, the San Antonio Current reported.
"The material that he was etching it into is, of course, of historical value. And the dollar value of (the damage) was in excess of $250,000," said Sgt. Javier Salazar, a spokesman for San Antonio Police Department, according to The Inquisitr.
Tourists visiting the Alamo on Thursday, at the same time of the desecration, were horrified when told of the damage inflicted by another tourist. The area near the Monk's Room is now closed off until preservationists can come and assess the damage and plan repairs.
