By Joe Johnson
A Clarke County grand jury has returned a felony indictment for man who allegedly used an SUV to intentionally damage commercial property west of downtown Athens.
Giovanni Ricci Merendino, 26, was charged with one count of felony criminal damage to property, according to the indictment filed December 3 in Superior Court.
The charge stems from his arrest on June 2, 2023 after police responded to a building at 100 Prince Avenue to investigate a trespassing complaint.
The property manager showed officers surveillance video of a Toyota Highlander being driven down the stairs of a courtyard and through the common area between two buildings, then used to repeatedly ram a brick wall in an apparent attempt to leave, according to a police report.
The vehicle eventually drove away, leaving behind a damaged building, sidewalk, brick wall, and landscaping.
The damaged property was owned by Ram Partners LLC and Chapel Athens LLC, according to court records.
An officer found the damaged Toyota by following a trail of transmission fluid from the building to a home on Pulaski Street, where the registered owners explained that their son, Giovanni, had used the SUV.
When questioned, Merendino told the officer that the Toyota might have been damaged at a convenience store where he had purchased beer after leaving work, but could not explain how the damage occurred.
“After being arrested Giovanni made the statement that he ‘thought it was a dream’ and asked if we had it on camera,” the officer said in the report.
Metendino is scheduled to be arraigned on January 15.
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