Police Searching for Vandalism Offender Targeting Disabled Marine
A disabled marine was saddened when he found his car had been targeted by vandals in Houston over the weekend. The individual says that he has battled Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder(PTSD) since coming home from the war, and relies on his service dog to help him manage all kinds of stress.
It did not help his stress levels when he discovered that his car was heavily vandalized. The 28-year-old disabled Marine veteran who served in Iraq says that he woke up to see graffiti all over his car. There were racial slurs, spray paint vulgarities, and inappropriate words strewn all over the car. The veteran says that the mirrors were also painted black and the bumpers were busted off of the car. The veteran says that he suffered extreme embarrassment after he found his car so damaged.
The veteran currently lives off of his disability checks. He says that he did his best to clean up his ’96 Ford Escape after the incident but was not able to remove all of the grafitti. Neighbors say that other cars in the Houston area have also been vandalized, reportedly by the same group of delinquent teenagers. The Marine believes that without his service dog, he may not have been able to handle the frustration of the vandalism.
Vandalism of an automobile is a serious offense, and those who are charged with this crime in Houston can face grave penalties if convicted. Oftentimes the Texas courts will charge vandalism as criminal mischief, depending on the extent of the damage, the crime can either be a misdemeanor or a felony. Felony vandalism holds state jail time. Because most car vandalism cases cost thousands of dollars in repairs, they are typically considered state jail felonies. If you want more information contact a Houston criminal defense attorney today!
