Salado man charged in graffiti incident at US Rep. John Carter's office in Georgetown
Georgetown police on Thursday arrested a man in connection to the vandalism last month at U.S. Rep. John Carter's office. Red paint was thrown on the front door and "Free Gaza" was spray-painted on the sidewalk, officials said.
Reiss Funicelli, 27, of Salado was charged with graffiti with a loss ranging from $2,500 to $30,000, according to a news release from Georgetown police. The charge is a state-jail felony punishable by up to two years. Georgetown and Salado police arrested Funicelli at 10:45 a.m. Thursday at his home, the release said.
"The arrest was made possible through the outstanding work of detectives to follow multiple small pieces of information to build a substantial list of potential leads and possible suspect(s)," according to the release.
More: Police: Vandal paints 'Free Gaza' on sidewalk at U.S. Rep. Carter's office in Georgetown
“I applaud the Georgetown Police Department for their hard work in investigating, identifying, and arresting Reiss Funicelli as the suspect allegedly responsible for the vandalism at my Georgetown office in April," Carter said in the release. "From the moment my staff called police to report the damage, Georgetown Police Department has been professional, thorough, and committed to finding the individual responsible."
The incident happened April 22. Police used video surveillance footage around the Williamson County Courthouse, Carter's office and arrest records from the Travis County sheriff's office in making the arrest, the release said. Cellphone records and surveillance cameras helped place Funicelli and his vehicle at Carter's office at 4411 Interstate 35 South near the time of the incident, police said.
University of Texas police arrested and charged Funicelli with obstructing a roadway on April 29, according to Travis County district clerk records. The charge is a Class B misdemeanor punishable by up to 180 days in jail.
More: Seventy-nine pro-Palestine protesters arrested during encampment UT-Austin
Seventy-nine people were arrested April 29 at UT after dozens of people briefly set up an encampment on the campus’ South Mall to call for the school to divest from Israeli weapons manufacturers and for a cease-fire in Gaza amid the Israel-Hamas war. The news release from the Georgetown police did not say whether Funicelli was involved in the protest when he was arrested.
Funicelli's lawyer could not be reached immediately for comment.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Man charged in graffiti incident at US Rep. John Carter's office
