Man arrested in connection with vandalism at Texas congressman’s office in Georgetown

GEORGETOWN, Texas (KXAN) — A man in his 20s has been arrested and charged in connection with vandalism at Texas Congressman John Carter’s office in Georgetown last month, Georgetown police said.

In late April, the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office asked the public for help in identifying suspects in three vandalism cases in Georgetown. The sheriff’s office said the suspects were connected to vandalism at Rep. Carter’s office and other vandalism at the Republican Party headquarters and the Williamson County Courthouse in Georgetown.

Georgetown police said Thursday they arrested Reiss Funicelli, 26, on graffiti charges. He was arrested at his Salado, Texas, home without incident and booked into the Bell County Jail, according to the GPD.

It is unclear whether law enforcement is still looking for the other two previously mentioned suspects in connection with the incidents. Georgetown police said they had not identified any additional suspects as of Monday, May 20.

KXAN reached out to Bell County for information about Funicelli’s attorney, and the county said it has not appointed a representative for him. We will continue to contact you until the attorney’s information can be located.

Police said in a news release that the arrest was made possible because detectives “pursued several small fragments of information to compile an extensive list of potential leads and possible suspects.”

The police department said investigators reviewed video surveillance footage around the Williamson County Courthouse and Rep. Carter’s office, as well as arrest logs from the Travis County Sheriff’s Office, and were able to obtain an arrest warrant for Funicelli. Additional information from cell phone records helped place Funicelli in Carter’s office at the time of the incident, the agency added.

“I applaud the hard work of the Georgetown Police Department in investigating, identifying and arresting Reiss Funicelli as the alleged suspect responsible for the vandalism of my Georgetown office in April. From the moment my staff called police to report the damage, the Georgetown Police Department was professional, thorough and committed to finding the person responsible. As a former judge, I trust that the court system will take the matter from here and the suspect will face appropriate consequences for his alleged actions.”

Congressman John Carter