An 18-year-old South Milwaukee man, on probation for an armed robbery about a year earlier, told police he recently vandalized Da Crusher statue "to be cool."

James C. Dudgeon was charged with criminal damage to property, a crime that could result in nine months of prison or $10,000 in fines.

A 21-year-old man has also been identified but has not been arrested.

The statue, which honors South Milwaukee wrestling legend Reggie Lisowski, has stood tall over his hometown since June.

The family of Lisowski noticed the damage Aug. 29 and reported it to the South Milwaukee Police Department.

Police discovered via surveillance video that two men approached the statue Aug. 24 and repeatedly struck it with a concrete block.

The statue suffered damaged to the nose, right cheek and upper right chest.

The surveillance video was "instrumental in determining the time frame for the damage and helping police identify the people responsible," police wrote in a news release.

An investigator with the South Milwaukee Police Department recognized Dudgeon in the video from multiple prior encounters with him, according to the complaint.

In an interview with police Sept. 12, Dudgeon said he was out with friends that night and admitted to his involvement, a complaint said. Dudgeon said he thought he would be the "tough guy" if he was the one who threw the concrete block.

He added he vandalized the statue "to be cool." He told police he would pay for all of the damage, which was estimated at $1,200.

The damage was recently repaired by Beth Sahagian, the South Milwaukee native who built the statue.

Da Crusher's legacy

The statue was unveiled in June during a two-day festival called Crusherfest near 11th and Milwaukee avenues that attracted dignitaries and another wrestling icon Baron von Raschke.

The 600-pound statue was the brainchild of wrestling fan Chris Smith, who is South Milwaukee's city attorney. He launched a GoFundMe campaign in 2017 and raised $40,000.

Smith said he wanted "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.”

Lisowski wrestled for about 40 years, beginning in 1949. He earned many professional championships during his run. He died in 2005.

Dudgeon made his initial court appearance Sept. 14 and pleaded not guilty. The court set a $200 signature bond. He is being held in the Milwaukee County Jail.

Armed robbery

According to online court records, Dudgeon was convicted in January in Milwaukee County as party to the crime of armed robbery with threat of force for an incident in 2018.

He was put on probation in February for three years under the supervision of the Wisconsin Department of Corrections.

As part of his probation, he was to serve six months of conditioned time at the House of Corrections in Franklin with work, treatment and education release privileges.

He was also ordered to pay nearly $880 in restitution.

In that incident, Dudgeon organized a robbery in South Milwaukee involving other juveniles at the train tracks in the 200 block of North Chicago Avenue. He told police he wanted to "teach a lesson" to a juvenile who he said was communicating with his girlfriend.

Dudgeon and two others ordered two juveniles to the ground, robbed them and threatened their lives if they told anyone about what happened, the complaint said.

Dudgeon said he had a BB gun during the incident. A Bluetooth speaker, cellphone and phone chargers were stolen during the robbery.

Dudgeon's co-defendant, Peter Kaster, an 18-year-old man previously from Franklin, was convicted in the case on an amended charge of attempted theft. He was also put on three years probation under the supervision of Wisconsin Department of Corrections and ordered to pay restitution jointly with Dudgeon. The court will expunge the case from Kaster's record if he completes two years of college, technical school or an apprenticeship program and completes probation.

Contact Christopher Kuhagen at (262) 446-6634 or christopher.kuhagen@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter at @ckuhagen and our newsroom Instagram accounts at MyCommunityNow and Lake Country Now.