Donald Trump

Man Who Allegedly Smashed Trump's Hollywood Star is Charged With Vandalism

James Otis was arrested after allegedly smashing the Trump star in October

A man who appeared in a video and said he didn't regret using a pick ax and sledgehammer to destroy Donald Trump's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame was charged, prosecutors said Thursday.

James Lambert Otis, 52, of Los Angeles, faces one felony count of vandalism, causing over $400 in damages, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.

Otis is accused of smashing the star on Oct. 26, then allegedly removing a brass medallion from the middle of the star, prosecutors said. He appeared in a Deadline Hollywood video dressed as a construction worker in work boots, a safety vest and helmet smashing the Trump star.

Otis, an heir to the Otis Elevator Company fortune, surrendered to police the next morning.

Otis said his intent was to remove the star and auction it off to raise money for the women who accused Trump of sexually assaulting them.

Otis told City News Service he had no immediate comment on the DA's
decision to bring a felony charge against him.

But previously, he told NBC4 that it was an act of civil disobedience and freedom of expression.

"I did it, and I'm very happy I did it, and I'm proud that I did it." he told NBC4 at the time.

Trump, now the president-elect, has vehemently denied accusations of mistreating women.

Trump's Walk of Fame star has been targeted previously, with vandals painting on it earlier this year, and a street artist erecting a small wall around it this summer, mocking Trump's pledge to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.

The Republican presidential candidate and former "Apprentice" host received the star in January 2007 for his role on the NBC show. The star is in the 6800 block of Hollywood Boulevard, a prominent location on the Walk of Fame not far from the Hollywood and Highland Center.

Crews continue to fix the star. But no date has been set for its completion, said Ana Martinez with the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce.

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