A Christian church in Indianapolis is starting to suspect that what they hoped was just a “random act” of vandalism is something more troubling. A concrete statue of Jesus outside the church has been beheaded twice in two weeks.
“I was hoping it was just a random act to destroy it in the first place,” said Cottage Avenue Pentecostal Pastor Brad Flaskamp, but now he and other church members are wondering if there’s something else motivating the act.
Two weeks ago, the church found the Jesus statue in front door of the 100-year-old church decapitated, the head lying next to it. After reattaching the head on Saturday, they found the statue once again beheaded Sunday morning. This time the head was missing.
“I can tell you that I don’t think it’s kids,” said Flaskamp. “It would have to be a kid that can wield a sledge hammer.”
“Flaskamp and other church members don’t know quite what to make of the recurring damage,” reports FOX59. “There’s no way to tell if it’s the work of somebody seeking a thrill, or somebody trying to send the church a message, or something else.”
The church’s secretary hypothesized that the vandalism was done by “someone new in the neighborhood that’s got some really deep problems,” while another member said it might be “somebody that just has fun destroying other people’s things.”
A more troubling possibility is that the act is either a threat against the church or even a hate crime.
The local police have opened an investigation, but so far do not have any solid leads. A recently installed surveillance camera on a home nearby had not yet been turned on for the second beheading.
“It is a difficult case to investigate,” said Indianapolis Metropoliton Police Sgt. Kendale Adams. “However, our detectives are very good about trying to connect the dots and get information from those in the community.”
Related: Hundreds of Graves Vandalized at Historic Jewish Cemetery