A 23-year-old El Paso resident was sentenced Monday for an incident taking place at one of the most sacred places in Texas. In an act that will remind many of you of Ozzy Osbourne, Texas resident Daniel Athens took a leak on a shrine dedicated to all who had lost their lives during the battle in 1836. The drunken visitor was witnessed by an Alamo Ranger “making the motion of putting his penis back in his pants” and it was discovered shortly thereafter that he left a puddle of his pee behind. He reached a plea deal for the event, which took place in 2012, and was ordered to serve 18 months and pay a fine of $4,000. Unlike Osbourne, he will likely be forgotten before his term is up. It is unclear if he will be banned from the city of San Antonio for the next decade.
The Smoking Gun notes a police report stating that Athens’ act actually could damage the 250 year-old Alamo, as “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.” While Osbourne was arrested for urinating near the Alamo in 1982, it’s actually a rumor that he relieved himself on the actual building. In truth, he’d urinated on a cenotaph across the street from the building, not the building itself. He was wearing his a dress at the time, since then-manager Sharon Osbourne had taken his clothes. Osbourne was banned from the city for a decade, until he donated $10,000 to the Daughters of the Republic of Texas, who are the caretakers of the Alamo. This guy wasn’t as lucky.
(note, the above pic is actually from Ozzy’s arrest in Memphis two years later)
