DETROIT – The man accused of throwing a chair through the window of a Downtown Detroit bar last weekend has been charged with malicious destruction of property.
The Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office on Thursday charged Ira Township resident Jaden Geck, 21, with destroying the front window of Cafe D’Mongos Speakeasy in Downtown Detroit the previous weekend. Surveillance cameras captured the man’s actions fairly clearly, and police were able to identify Geck as their suspect on May 10.
Ira Township is located in St. Clair County, east of New Baltimore.
At about 4:41 a.m. on Sunday, May 7, surveillance cameras captured a man, now identified as Geck, picking up a patio chair outside the speakeasy and throwing it through the front window. The man could be seen walking down Griswold Street, coming to a stop in front of the establishment, and looking in both directions before throwing the chair and fleeing on foot.
There are chairs and tables that remain outside of the speakeasy even when it isn’t open.
You can see some of the footage in the video player down below.
Prosecutors charged Geck on Thursday, May 11, with malicious destruction of property causing $1,000-$20,000 worth of damages. The charge is a felony with a maximum penalty of five years in prison, officials said.
Geck is being held on a $50,000 bond and is set to appear in court next on May 24.
Cafe D’Mongos owner Larry Mongo told Local 4 earlier this week that a nearby bar owner had recently seen Geck come in and out of their establishment, and had to kick him out.
Mongo said he doesn’t understand the man’s motive for throwing the chair. Based on the surveillance footage, Mongo said he doesn’t believe the suspect was drunk, but rather that he “needs help.”
The bar’s front window has been boarded up. Mongo says he is working on getting the window repaired while also caring for his wife, who is recovering from an illness.