14-Year-Old Charged With Desecrating Local Jesus Statue

A Pennsylvania teen could be facing jail time for taking an explicit photo of himself with a statue of Jesus at a local Christian ministry.

The 14-year-old boy, whose name is being kept anonymous because he is a juvenile, is being charged with a misdemeanor crime for breaking a rarely-used 1972 law in Bedford County that prohibits the desecration of a venerable object. Back in July, the boy posted photos to Facebook that showed him mimicking an oral sex act with a local statue of Jesus.

The statue was from the local Love in the Name of Christ Christian ministries, which has an office in Everett. The statue is of a purple-robed Jesus kneeling in solemn prayer.

The Christian ministry that owns the statue has said it did not press charges against the boy, but rather felt it was important to pray for him. "Our request was for prayer for the young man,' Bev Patten, spokesperson for the Love in the Name of Christ ministries told the Daily Mail.

A police report obtained by The Smoking Gun states: "On or about 07/20/14 the ACCUSED took and posted pictures of himself on Facebook desecrating a statue of Jesus."

A previous case in 2010 resulted in prosecution when a college student urinated on a nativity scene in the city of Wilkes-Barre. That student was also prosecuted under the 1972 law regarding sacred objects. The 22-year-old man was reportedly caught by a cop as he urinated while intoxicated on a nativity scene located in the town square.