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MAN CONVICTED FOR VANDALIZING THE CRUSHER STATUE IN MILWAUKEE

By Mike Johnson on 2019-12-08 11:24:00

18-year-old James C. Dudgeon of South Milwaukee, Wisconsin was convicted of criminal damage after vandalizing the statue erected in honor of former AWA World Champion Reggie “Da Crusher” Lisowski, according to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.    Due to the nature of the statue being a tribute to a legendary professional wrestler.  At the time, Dudgeon's arrest 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 noted 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, but later changed the plea to guilty and was convicted of the crime.  On 12/6, Dudgeon was sentenced to four months imprisonment but the court suspended that in favor of a year of probation.  Dudgron must also complete 40 hours of community service at a nonprofit organization, obtain and maintain full employment, full-time school or a combination of both, pay $650 in restitution to Da Crusher Foundation and send an apology to the foundation.  He must also provide a DNA sample to be kept on file in order to be included for future forensic testing.

A second suspect, Douglas E. Macklin, still has an arrest warrant out after being charged in September with criminal damage to property, a misdemeanor. Dudgeon had identified Macklin on the video of the incident.

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.  You can see video of the unveiling by clicking here.  

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.

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