ANGOLA, Indiana (Indiana's NewsCenter)--They say you can't fight city hall but an Angola theatre owner is locked in a battle with town leaders that may land him in jail.
Dana Thompson owns the Strand Theatre on the town circle. He says a concrete planter installed in a recent downtown improvement project blocks him from servicing his aging theatre marquee. He says he has to set up a ladder in the planter's dirt just to change the light bulbs. City officials say Thompson deliberately destroyed plants in the planter and used it to dump popcorn and cigarette butts. He’s been arrested twice and charged with criminal mischief.
“They came here and they arrest me with three police at opening time to make me look bad in front of my patrons, the town and try to intimidate me,” Thompson says. “It just makes me mad.”
City officials say they had no choice. “This was a repeated vandalism of the plants being uprooted from the planters, trash and debris being dumped that continued,” says city attorney Kim Shoup. “Taxpayers property is being damaged and in that sense it's not silly but the activities that are alleged are definitely very silly and unnecessary.”
Thompson faces two counts of criminal mischief, Class 'B' misdemeanors. A pre-trial hearing is set for February 25th.
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