wrestling / News

Man Arrested For Allegedly Vandalizing Crusher Memorial Statue in Milwaukee

September 18, 2019 | Posted by Jeremy Thomas
AWA American Wrestling Association logo Image Credit: AWA

– An arrest has been made in the investigation of the statue for the late Reggie “Da Crusher” Lisowski. PWInsider reports that James C. Dudgeon, 18, has been arrested and charged with criminal damage to property after he was caught on video on August 24th committing the act.

The statue was unveiled in June honoring the former AWA World Champion, who passed away in 2005 at the age of 79. Lisowski was inducted into the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2005.

The press release from the South Milwaukee Police Department on the arrest reads:

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.”

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The Crusher, Jeremy Thomas