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A woman has been taken into custody following allegations that she beheaded a Jesus statue at a Catholic church on Long Island, according to local authorities.
Identified as 41-year-old Deyonna Subert, who police referred to as “undomiciled,” she faces charges of second-degree criminal mischief. This follows the reported vandalism of the Sacred Heart of Jesus statue at St. Mary’s Church in East Islip, stated Suffolk County Police.
The incident reportedly occurred on May 15 around 11:15 p.m. at the church, located at 118 East Main St.
“After conducting an investigation, detectives from the Hate Crimes Unit apprehended Deyonna Subert at 6:39 a.m. outside 221 West Main Street in Bay Shore,” Suffolk County Police shared in a press release on Wednesday.
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The severed head of a Sacred Heart of Jesus statue is shown outside St. Mary’s Church in East Islip, N.Y., after the statue was vandalized. (News 12 Long Island)
Subert was held overnight at the Fourth Precinct and was scheduled to be arraigned Thursday at First District Court in Central Islip, police said.
Churchgoers discovered the statue’s head missing Sunday morning as parishioners gathered for services and First Communion celebrations, according to News12 Long Island video from the scene.
“Across the way into the auditorium, we had first communions and this is where the kids come and they take their picture,” St. Mary’s pastor Father Anthony Iaconis told News12.
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Father Anthony Iaconis holds the severed head of a Sacred Heart of Jesus statue outside St. Mary’s Church in East Islip, N.Y., after the statue was vandalized. (News 12 Long Island)
Iaconis said he later found the statue’s head in nearby bushes.
“I think everyone would be upset by it,” longtime parishioner Regina Vavricka told the outlet.
“Whether you belong to this parish or not, or whether you’re Catholic or Jewish, it doesn’t really matter.”
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A Sacred Heart of Jesus statue stands without its head outside St. Mary’s Church in East Islip, N.Y., after the statue was vandalized. (News 12 Long Island)
The church’s pastor said donations had already begun coming in to help repair the statue, which was expected to be fixed within days.
“Yeah, it’s a terrible thing,” Iaconis said. “I just ask people to pray for the person who did this. It’s not right, but we can still pray for them.”
Detectives from the department’s Hate Crimes Unit investigated the incident.
“A criminal charge is an accusation,” Suffolk County Police said in the release. “A defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.”
Suffolk County Police did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for additional comment.