Property is protected by the Penal Code just as much as a person. Keying a car or putting a hole in a wall during an argument supports an arrest, with the charge level set by the damage amount.
Criminal mischief is destroying or defacing someone else's property. A teenager spray-painting a fence or a school wall has committed criminal mischief.
These charges most often come out of arguments, when one person destroys the other's property in the moment: keying a car, breaking a window, kicking a hole in a wall. The level of the charge depends on the amount of damage. People sometimes assume that as long as there was no physical altercation they will not be arrested. That is not correct. Property is protected by the Penal Code just as much as a person is.
Citation: Texas Penal Code §28.03
Degree and classification: Graded by pecuniary loss, from a Class C misdemeanor under $100 up to a first-degree felony at $300,000 or more. Certain categories, such as habitation damage by firearm or explosive, are felonies regardless of value.
Statutory language: A person commits an offense if, without consent, they intentionally or knowingly damage or destroy another's tangible property, or tamper with it causing loss or inconvenience.