More historic headstones damaged in Galveston

GALVESTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Dozens of headstones in some of the area's oldest cemeteries have been found damaged and for the second time this month, an arrest has been made.

Eric Deshawn Williams, 35, faces felony criminal mischief charges after police said he severely damaged a headstone at a cemetery in the 4200 block of Broadway. The headstone Williams is believed to have damaged was 98-years-old.

Williams faces felony charges because the damage happened at a place of human burial, police said.

As many as eighteen headstones were damaged earlier this month. Corey Johnson, 40, was arrested on Nov. 9 in connection with that case.

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The Broadway Cemeteries is a collection of four city-owned and three privately run cemeteries on Broadway between 40th and 43rd streets. The city-owned Old City, Oleander, Evergreen and New City cemeteries and the privately managed Episcopal, Old Catholic and Hebrew Benevolent make up the Broadway Cemeteries.

City officials said earlier this month they've found about 80 headstones damaged since October. The estimated cost associated with the damage was more than $13,000.

Officials said the damage amount estimate is for material costs, and not the historical significance of the headstones.

Some of the damaged headstones date back to Galveston's antebellum - Pre-Civil War - period of the island's history.