Grand jury indicts man accused breaking leg off Jack Daniels statue in Hamilton

HAMILTON — A Butler County grand jury indicted a Hamilton man charged with destroying a statue of Jack Daniels and hundreds of bottles of alcohol at a Main Street business.

Jacob Shane Wright, 26, of the 2000 block of Princeton Road, was indicted Wednesday on three counts of vandalism, obstructing official business, resisting arrest and attempted petty theft.

Wright is scheduled to have his arraignment at 1 p.m. Oct. 19 before Butler County Common Pleas Judge Michael Oster, according to court documents.

Wright’s bond remains at $125,000, according to court records.

He entered Noonan’s at about 4:35 p.m. Sept. 13 and attempted to steal a bottle of liquor, according to Hamilton police. Wright was told to put down the bottle and leave, but he went outside and broke off the leg of a statue of Jack Daniels and returned screaming and threatening employees, said owner Tom Noonan.

Wright kicked the store door and ran. He was spotted a short time later in the parking lot of CVS and was eventually apprehended by officers, but he put a dent in a police cruiser after jumping on it, police said. An officer also received a hand and leg injury, according to the police report.

Damage estimated to the inventory is about $10,000, with total damage estimated at $15,300, including the door, statue leg and cruiser, according to the police report.

About the Authors