James Lambert Otis, 53, avoided jail time after destroying Donald Trump‘s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame two weeks before he won the presidential election.

James Lambert Otis Avoids Jail

Otis used a pickaxe and sledgehammer to do the damage on Oct. 26. He was charged with one count of vandalism and plead no contest at his hearing on Tuesday.

Otis was sentenced to three years probation and 20 days of work with the California Department of Transportation. He was also required to pay $3,700 to the Hollywood Historic Trust and $700 to the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce for his destruction. Otis could have faced up to three years in prison for his crime.

Otis was seen on security camera dressed as a construction worker at the time. He claims his initial motivation was to remove Trump’s name from the star, and auction it off to raise money for the women who accused Trump of sexual assault. Trump has vehemently denied the allegations against him.

Trump was the 2,327th person to receive a star on the Walk of Fame, and he did so for his work on The Apprentice. The star has been targeted multiple times since the initial attack, and in July, an artist known as Plastic Jesus installed a mini wall around the star, complete with barbed wire, U.S. flags and Keep Out signs.

“The Hollywood Walk of Fame is an institution celebrating the positive contributions of the inductees,” said Hollywood Chamber of Commerce president Leron Gubler. “When people are unhappy with one of our honorees, we would hope that they would project their anger in more positive ways than to vandalize a California State landmark. Our democracy is based on respect for the law. People can make a difference by voting and not destroying public property.”

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Hillary Luehring-Jones

Article by Hillary Luehring-Jones

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