Police are searching for the person who allegedly spray painted the chest and genital area of a Jesus statue at a North Vancouver church.
Security camera footage taken overnight on July 23 shows a young individual, presumably male, spray painting the statue at St. Pius X Catholic Church in Deep Cove.
This isn’t the first time the church’s Jesus statue has been targeted in recent months.
Police say the legs of the statue were broken in early April, resulting in $5,000 of damage. In May, a rock was used to re-damage the newly repaired statue.
A seasonal statue of the baby Jesus has also been the victim of crime. The 24-inch fiberglass statue was stolen from the church’s nativity scene in January 2014.
“The local parish, along with police, are very concerned over the ongoing willful damage targeting the statue,” said Cpl. Richard De Jong in a release. “Police are now releasing to the public a photograph of the suspect in the process of committing this most recent act of vandalism, in the hopes someone recognizes the culprit.”
Anyone with information is asked to call the North Vancouver RCMP at 604-985-1311, quoting file 2015-17928, or BC Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477(TIPS).
