Man accused of breaking into Denton City Hall, causing $10K in damage to offices

A man accused of breaking into Denton City Hall and causing extensive damage to the city manager’s office suite was arrested late Friday night, according to Denton police.

Officers were called shortly after 10 p.m. to City Hall, at 215 E. McKinney St., police said in a news release Saturday.

A city employee reported to police that a shirtless man kicked a glass door numerous times until he was able to get inside the building. The man then went to the city manager’s office, where he “began causing a loud disturbance,” the employee told police.

When officers arrived, they heard crashing and banging noises and saw items being thrown from the office into the the hallway.

“Officers kept their distance and called out for the unknown suspect to come out, but the suspect did not make himself visible to officers,” police said in the release. “The suspect instead barricaded himself inside the offices and refused to respond to officers’ repeated attempts to speak with him.”

After about an hour, officers from the Little Elm and Hickory Creek departments arrived with police dogs to help search for the man, who was taken into custody without incident, Denton police said.

After assessing the damage, in the police report, the primary investigating officer described the City Manager’s Office as suffering “total destruction.” Officers found urine and fecal matter inside the office, as well as “various broken electronics, shattered glass, an overturned and destroyed desk, damaged walls, and shattered sentimental personal items, among other damages,” the release said.

Police said they also found damage to other offices in the building, with total damages estimated around $10,000.

The suspect, 48-year-old David Lopez, was arrested on suspicion of criminal mischief with a loss greater than $2,500 and less than $30,000. He also faces a charge of criminal trespass.

Police said Lopez was previously accused of trespassing at City Hall in October 2020.