ARGYLE  —  On Monday, Prosecuting Attorney Amanda Grellner charged Joseph P. Henderson, 19, of Bonnots Mill, with first-degree property damage following an incident on Sunday.

At 10:55 a.m., deputies responded to the St. Aloysius Cemetery in Argyle to investigate the situation. They observed damage to the front gates, the perimeter of the fence, and several tombstones. The reporting party estimated $30,000 to $50,000 in damages. Deputies recovered pieces consistent with a Dodge Ram pickup throughout the cemetery.

Deputies also located a trucker-style cap on the ground at the cemetery and a Twisted Tea can.

According to Deputy Ben Sallin’s probable cause statement, a witness said they saw two men at the Argyle Bar the previous night, one wearing a trucker cap that matched what was found in the cemetery. The witness said both men were “very intoxicated” when they left the bar around midnight.

While Sallin was at the scene, a female witness said she was at her apartment behind the cemetery when she observed a large truck drive up the street parallel to her apartment and enter the cemetery. She reported seeing the truck run over multiple headstones, the gate, and the fence. The witness also noted she observed a hat exit the passenger window and land on the ground.

One of the men reportedly spent two to three hours trying to free the truck stuck on the fence. The female witness said she observed a male walk around the truck looking at the damage. She added the men shut off the truck and sat in it for approximately two to three hours. At about 6 a.m. on Sunday, she heard the truck start and watched the men drive down Fourth Street.

At approximately 7 p.m., one of the witnesses received a call from Henderson, who said his truck had been used to damage cemetery property, and he did not remember whether he drove.

At 7:40 p.m., deputies arrived at Henderson’s residence, where they observed a 2005 Dodge Ram 2500, registered to Henderson, parked in the driveway.

The PC statement noted that Henderson said he and another man who was not identified by law enforcement were driving around drinking alcoholic beverages when they stopped at the bar in Argyle. Henderson added they left the bar, and he didn’t remember anything after that, including whether he drove the truck. He told Sallin he woke up in the passenger seat at approximately 6 a.m. on Sunday, still at the cemetery. Henderson said the other man was asleep in the back seat. He moved to the driver’s seat and drove to the second man’s residence.

Deputies located several alcoholic beverages, including Twisted Tea cans, in the truck.

Henderson was taken into custody and transported to the Osage County Detention Center without incident. He is due to appear in court at 10 a.m. on Jan. 16 before Judge Sonya Brandt.