Topless Woman In North Dakota Arrested By Police After Allegedly Destroying Statue Of Jesus In Cathedral

This is what happens when one mixes drugs with possible anti-religious tendencies. Earlier this week, a woman in Fargo, North Dakota apparently under the influence of narcotics allegedly walked into a church topless and decided to destroy a statue of Jesus Christ.

The deranged woman, 35-year-old Brittney Marie Reynolds, took off running across the street after allegedly committing the vandalism. After responding to a call from a concerned civilian, the Fargo Police caught up to Reynolds and arrested her.

Reynolds was unable to respond to simple questions from the officers after being detained.

Here is the story from Valley News Live

A woman is in the Cass County Jail after police say walked into St. Mary’s Cathedral in downtown Fargo and destroyed a Jesus statue while topless.

Police responded to a call around 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, January 23, for a topless female damaging property at the church on 6th Avenue and 7th Street North. When Fargo Police arrived, they saw a woman running across the street but officers were able to detain her.

According to court documents, the woman was not wearing a shirt or a bra and did not have any shoes on. Police identified her as 35-year-old Brittney Marie Reynolds. At the time of the arrest, officers say Reynolds was not able to answer basic questions and appeared to be under the influence of narcotics.

Reverend Riley Durkin provided security camera footage to authorities. Court documents say the footage shows Reynolds enter the church and knock over a potted plant before making her way to the large Jesus statue on the wall. Police say the statue was ripped from the wall and smashed on the floor. Reynolds can be seen leaving the area shortly after that.

Police reached out to Monseigneur Joseph Goering for an estimated cost of damage; he was unsure of the exact value, but said a similar statue was found online at a price of $11,500 dollars.

Reynolds was arrested for criminal mischief and makes her first court appearance on January 25. A Cass County warrant was also put in place because Reynolds allegedly become assaultive toward Essentia Health Emergency Room staff.

If convicted, Reynolds faces a maximum of 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine.

The Catholic News Agency (CNA) reported that the statue is called “Christ in Death.” The sculpture shows the body of Jesus on a blanket with a crown of thorns along his lower legs.

The motive for the vandalism remains unclear. While it’s entirely possible this is simply the case of a drugged-out woman allegedly behaving erratically, acts of vandalism awash in anti-Christian sentiment have occurred before in Fargo.

The CNA noted that back in April 2021, a vandal defaced a statue of Jesus with black paint in front of St. Mary’s Cathedral. In 2018, someone beheaded a statue of the Virgin Mary at St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church in south Fargo.