Teenager arrested for untying animals at Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A 17-year-old has been arrested and charged with deadly conduct for his behavior at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.

Alonso Apodaca was caught unsecuring a steer in the livestock area.

When he saw the steers at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo on Wednesday, he said he worried they were tied up too tightly.

"I grabbed it, and I took it off. I just let it loose. It didn't get out, it didn't do anything," he explained. "I did it for the first one, I did it for the second one, and then the third one, I'm petting it, and I go to do it, and they said, 'Can you not do that,' so I get away and I'm like, 'Oh, I'm sorry.'"

Soon afterward, Alonso said, he was tackled to the ground and handcuffed.

Rodeo officials confirmed that none of the steers got out, and nobody was injured.

But animals can be unpredictable and dangerous.

There are also clear signs telling people not to touch them.

Alonso was charged with deadly conduct.

It's a misdemeanor, but he was still taken to jail.

"You're just alone. You have a lot of things go through your head like, 'This is kind of scary,' It's cold. I was really cold there," he said.

Alonso spent the night behind bars until his mother picked him up the next day.

She said she didn't pick him up earlier because she wanted to teach him to control his emotions and actions better.

"It's my fault, so I gotta take responsibility," he said. "To make better decisions, to think about that before doing it, because all of that could have been prevented if I had just not let the cows loose. Next time, just make better decisions."

It's a tough lesson, but Alonso's family hopes it will steer him in the right direction.

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