A former Fort Bliss soldier was arrested Thursday in connection with the Oct. 9, 2017, Columbus Day vandalism of a statue of a Native American woman on the Ysleta Del Sur Pueblo, officials said.
Justin Haggerty, 28, was arrested in Atlanta in connection with pouring red paint on the Nestora Granillo Piarote Memorial Statue and placing a red wooden cross in front of it next to the Tigua Indian Cultural Center, 305 Yaya Lane, in the Lower Valley, FBI El Paso Division officials said.
The cross appeared to have "Columbus Day" written on it.
Haggerty was arrested in connection with one count each of malicious mischief regarding building or property within special maritime and territorial jurisdiction, and violating laws governing Indian country, officials said.
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Haggerty was a former U.S. Army soldier stationed at Fort Bliss. No further information on Haggerty or the motive for the alleged crime was released.
He had an initial court hearing Thursday in the Northern District of Georgia federal court and will be extradited to the Western District of Texas by the U.S. Marshals Service, officials said.
“This arrest will serve to remind those who would commit such crimes, that the FBI will aggressively investigative these cases and work tirelessly to bring those who perpetrate violence to justice,” FBI El Paso Special Agent in Charge Emmerson Buie, Jr. said in a statement.
More: Tigua sculpture vandalized with red paint, 'Columbus Day' on cross
More: $10,000 reward offered to solve Columbus Day vandalism of Tigua statue
The investigation was led by the FBI El Paso Division, along with the FBI Atlanta Division, the Tigua Tribal Police, El Paso Police Department, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
No further information has been released.
A $10,000 reward to find the suspect had been offered by FBI, the Tigua tribe and the Sociedad Cultural de España cultural group. No information was released on if a tip lead to the arrest nor if anyone will get the reward.
The Nestora Granillo Piarote Memorial is a statue of a Tigua woman who was a well-known potter born in 1849 and died in 1918, the El Paso Times reported.
Piarote was born and raised in the Ysleta Del Sur Pueblo, spoke the native Tiwa language and has more than 800 tribal descendants.
The statue was by local sculptor Julio Sanchez de Alba.
Aaron Martinez may be reached at 546-6249; aamartinez@elpasotimes.com; @AMartinez31 on Twitter.
https://www.elpasotimes.com/story/news/crime/2019/05/10/former-fort-bliss-soldier-arrested-2017-columbus-day-vandalism-tiguas-statue/1168413001/
2019-05-10 20:48:00Z
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