Tarrant County deputies are trying to identify a man caught on surveillance footage casting a rock at the centuries-old courthouse at around midnight on Monday.
The Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office said that the suspect busted one of the windows of the old courthouse, which is located at 100 E Weatherford St., on January 8 at 12:10 a.m., according to WFAA.
The Beaux-Arts style building was erected in 1895 and has been recognized as a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark by the Texas Historical Commission.
In the clip released by the authorities, a man can be seen walking up the steps of the courthouse’s west entrance and launching a rock at its exterior doors.
The suspect was wearing a black jacket, black pants, black boots, and a red hat. He was unmasked, but the angle does not show much of his face.
Anyone with information about this act of vandalism or the suspect appearing in the footage is asked to contact Detective Soria at 817-884-1271 or by email at [email protected].
The charge associated with vandalism can vary between a Class A and Class B misdemeanor, depending on the cost of the damage incurred.
In neighboring Dallas, there have already been 257 incidents of vandalism reported this year as of January 9, according to the City’s crime analytics dashboard. In 2023, it was the fourth most common crime in the city, with a total of 9,946 reports filed.
Criminal mischief can present a drain on police resources, especially when they are already strained. The Dallas Police Department fields around 3,000 officers despite a City report calling for about 4,000 in order to ensure public safety in Dallas.
Vagrancy and more plague the city’s center as a result of this officer deficit. Downtown Dallas regularly logs higher rates of crime compared to downtown Fort Worth, which is patrolled by private security guards and a special police unit.