Utica Man Faces Felony Charge for Hammer Time Crime

A Utica man is under arrest after police say he damaged a car with a hammer.

Officers with the Utica Police Department were called to the back parking lot of the property located at 805 Varick Street at approximately 2:15am on Thursday, April 7, 2022.  They had received a call that someone was, according to police, "causing damage to vehicles."

The UPD says when officers arrived they found a man "in the area acting in a suspicious manner."  Officers then saw "a blue sedan with extensive damage to the windshield, hood, and body. While interviewing the individual, officers located a hammer nearby and through the investigation it was determined that this was the tool used to cause the damage to the vehicle."

The suspect was then taken into custody and brought the to Utica Police Department for an interview with an investigator from the Criminal Investigations Division.  Police say the man, identified as 47-year-old Lance Johnson of Utica, then confessed to causing the damage to the car.

Despite the damage to the vehicle no injuries were reported.  Police have not said what the motive was for Johnson's alleged actions.

Johnson was charged with one felony charge of Criminal Mischief in the Third Degree.

[AUTHOR'S NOTE:  This post is for informational purposes and is based largely on information received from the Utica Police Department.  The reader is reminded that all suspects and arrested persons are innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.  At the time of this posting no additional information is available.]