A man accused of using a pickax to shatter Donald Trump’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame pleaded not guilty to vandalism on Wednesday, officials said.
Prosecutors filed one felony count of vandalism against Austin Mikel Clay, a 24-year-old Glendale resident, about two weeks after the incident on July 25.
Clay allegedly smashed the president’s star on Hollywood Boulevard near the Dolby Theatre at around 3:30 a.m. before leaving the scene.
He soon went to authorities and identified himself as the person who vandalized the star, Beverly Hills police said.
Officials booked Clay into jail that morning and released him around 1 a.m. the next day on $20,000 bail, according to L.A. County Sheriff’s Department records.
The 24-year-old was scheduled to return to court on Aug. 21. If convicted as charged, he could face a maximum sentence of three years in jail, the District Attorney’s Office said.
The July incident marked the second time Trump’s star was vandalized over the past two years. Officials took a man into custody in 2016 after he admitted to using a sledgehammer and a pickax to hack at the star, an incident that was captured on video.
On Aug. 7, the day Clay was charged, the city of West Hollywood requested the removal of the president’s star.
The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, however, said it had no plans to take out any stars from the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
