HOLLYWOOD HILLS—President Donald Trump’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame was vandalized again. James Lambert Otis, 56, was arrested for felony vandalism on Monday, October 5, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
On Friday, October 2, Otis used a pick axe to destroy Trump’s star. The LAPD noted that Otis expressed “his intention to damage the star” recently on social media. Authorities began investigating the incident by reviewing video evidence.
After the investigation, the LAPD determined that Otis was the individual destroying the star. LAPD detectives “contacted Otis’ publicity team who relayed his desire to turn himself in for the crime.”
Otis is heir to the Otis Elevator Company fortune — one of the leading companies for elevator and escalator manufacturing in the world. On Monday, he entered LAPD’s Hollywood Station, where he was questioned by detectives and subsequently booked. His bail was set at $20,000.
He first destroyed President Trump’s star in 2016 before the General Election took place. On October 26, 2016, Otis smashed the star with a sledgehammer and removed a brass medallion from the middle of the star, according to Los Angeles County prosecutors.
He pleaded no contest to the same charges he currently faces. He was sentenced on February 21, 2017 to 3 years of formal probation, 20 days of Caltrans work and ordered to pay $3,700 to the Hollywood Historic Trust and $700 to the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce.
LAPD’s Hollywood Station investigated both incidents. The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce has estimated the damages from last week’s incident to be $3,000.
President Donald Trump received his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2007 when he hosted the reality competition TV series “The Apprentice” on NBC.
Written By Brenno Carillo
