Texan, 23, Headed To State Prison For Urinating On The Alamo

A Texas man was sentenced yesterday to 18 months in state prison for urinating on the Alamo.

Daniel Athens, a 23-year-old El Paso resident, pleaded guilty earlier this year to a criminal mischief charge in connection with the April 2012 incident at the Texas shrine. While Athens could have faced a maximum of two years in custody, a plea deal saved him up to six months in custody.

Athens was also ordered to pay $4000 in restitution by District Judge Ray Olivarri. Since Athens is not eligible for parole, he will have to serve the entirety of his 18-month sentence.

As detailed in a San Antonio Police Department report, an Alamo Ranger spotted the tipsy Athens standing in a “chained off area not open to the public” making “the motions of putting his penis back in his pants.” Upon investigation, the cop discovered that there was “a puddle on the original mortar of the Shrine.”

Urinating on the 250-year-old “Shrine of Texas Liberty” can cause damage to the landmark since the Alamo’s “limestone absorbs the salt and then pushes the salt out. When the salt gets pushed out so does the face of the limestone and through this process the urine contributes to the eroding of the limestone,” police reported.