Man pleads guilty to vandalizing Hamilton store, Jack Daniels statue

HAMILTON ― A Hamilton man admitted guilt in an act of vandalism that destroyed 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 in October on three counts of vandalism, obstructing official business, resisting arrest and attempted petty theft.

On Monday, Wright pleaded guilty to two counts of vandalism, one a fifth-degree felony and the other a fourth-degree felony, in Butler County Common Pleas Court. The remaining charges were dismissed.

Judge Michael Oster set sentencing for Dec. 21. Wright faces a maximum of 30 months in prison.

He entered Noonan’s at about 4:35 p.m. on Sept. 13 and attempted to steal a bottle of liquor, according to Hamilton police. Wright was told to put the down 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 a CVS parking lot and was eventually apprehended by officers, but not before 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 store’s inventory is about $10,000, with total damage estimated at $15,300, including to the door, statue leg and police cruiser, according to the police report.

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