18-year-old James C. Dudgeon of South Milwaukee, Wisconsin has been arrested and charged with with criminal damage to property after being caught in video vandalizing a statue erected in honor of former AWA World Champion Reggie “Da Crusher” Lisowski. Due to the nature of the statue being a tribute to a legendary professional wrestler, the story was picked up nationally this morning by USA Today, FOX News and other outlets.
Lisowski's family noticed damage to the statue on 8/29 and immediately notified the local police. Police were able to identify Dudgeon and another 21-year old (who has yet to be arrested but has been identified by police) via video surveillance as the pair used a concrete block to cause $1,200 worth of damage to the statue. Dudgeon was identified due to previous interactions local authorities had with him in the past.
The criminal complaint against Dudgeon notes that he admitted on 9/12 to using a brick to damage the statue, stating that he and a group of friends were near the statue when others talked about throwing a brick at it. Claiming he didn't believe it to be a big deal, Dudgeon admitted he struck the statue to "be cool." He told the authorities he would pay for the damage to the statue and apologized. Dudgeon has been incarcerated since 9/12, as this arrest is considered a violation of a previous parole or probation he was under for a previous offense.
Dudgeon, however, plead not guilty while in court over the weekend.
The memorial statue to former AWA star The Crusher was unveiled this past June as part of the first-ever "Crusherfest" in South Milwaukee after $40,000 was raised through crowd-funding and donations to erect the statue. Baron Von Raschke was among those in attendance for the weekend
Mayor Erik Brooks issued a proclamation on unveiling day, naming June 8, 2019, as Reggie “Da Crusher” Lisowski Day in South Milwaukee. The memorial is located at on the corner of 11th and Milwaukee in South Milwaukee and will be shaped like a wrestling ring with a statue of The Crusher elevated within the ring. The artist who crafted the statue, Beth Sahagian, has already stepped in to repair the damage.
Reggie “The Crusher” Lisowski passed away in 2005 at 79 years old. He was billed as "The Wrestler That Made Milwaukee Famous" and was an extremely popular blue-collar brawling babyface for the AWA. He was inducted into WCW's Hall of Fame in 1994 and was voted into the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2005. He's certainly a likely candidate for future inclusion in the WWE Hall of Fame's Legacy Wing.
The South Milwaukee Police Department's official press release on the arrest reads as follows:
South Milwaukee Police Make Arrest After Crusher Statue is Vandalized
The Crusher statue, installed near 11th and Milwaukee Avenue in South Milwaukee in June, has attracted thousands of fans since its unveiling. Unfortunately, the bronze statue has also recently attracted the attention of vandals. Family members, who visit the statue regularly, noticed the damage on August 29, and reported that damage to the South Milwaukee Police Department.
In the investigation that followed, police discovered that two men approached the statue on the night of August 24 and caused $1,200 in damage, when they repeatedly struck the statue with a concrete block. Surveillance video from the area was instrumental in determining the time frame for the damage and helping police identify the people responsible.
An 18-year-old man from South Milwaukee has been arrested and has admitted to his involvement in this incident. He has been charged with Criminal Damage to Property by the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office and is currently being held in the Milwaukee County jail. A second man, 21, has also been identified but has not yet been arrested.
The damage was repaired over the weekend by Beth Sahagian, the South Milwaukee native who built the statue.
The Crusher statue – built to honor South Milwaukee native and iconic wrestler Reggie “Da Crusher” Lisowski – became reality through donations from hundreds of family and friends, and was unveiled on June 8 at Crusherfest. Chris Smith, wrestling fan and city attorney for South Milwaukee, led the effort, with the support of the Lisowski family and countless other supporters and volunteers.
Said Smith: “I would like to thank everyone who supported the efforts to celebrate the achievements of ‘The Wrestler Who Made Milwaukee Famous,’ and build this statue. I also want to thank the South Milwaukee Police Department for their hard work in bringing these turkeynecks to justice. Da Crusher Foundation will aggressively pursue criminal charges against any person who attempts to damage or deface the statue. The statue, like the man himself, will stand strong.”
Included in this press release is a video of the incident that happened on as it occurred on August 24, 2019.
