The Journal-Sentinel in Milwaukee is reporting that 21-year old Douglas Macklin of Pembine, Wisconsin has been identified and charged with criminal damage to property in relation to the vandalism and damage done to the statue erected earlier this year in honor of former AWA World Champion Reggie “Da Crusher” Lisowski.
The link to the Journal's story is here. https://www.jsonline.com/story/communities/south/news/south-milwaukee/2019/09/19/da-crusher-statue-vandalism-second-wisconsin-man-charged/2376658001/?fbclid=IwAR2KzDY5gQcReSD28M3K8gP7YBZ9KFrLfuv28uLNr48MF-Z0BVBdaoxIe0k
A warrant has been issued for Macklin's arrest and if convicted, he could face a $10,000 fine and or up to nine months in prison.
As noted earlier this week, 18-year-old James C. Dudgeon of South Milwaukee, Wisconsin has already been arrested and charged with with criminal damage to property after being caught in video vandalizing the statue. Due to the nature of the statue being a tribute to a legendary professional wrestler, the story was picked up nationally.
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 plead not guilty to the charges.
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.
