Texas suspect in custody after Jesus statue vandalized at local Catholic church

Police have arrested a 36-year-old man accused of vandalizing a marble statue of Jesus at a Catholic church in Flint, Texas, according to a Sept. 11 report by East Texas’ ABC affiliate KLTV 7. 

Jordan Grey Clark, a local Flint resident, was arrested at his home Sept. 11 and “is accused of criminal mischief at a place of worship,” the outlet reported. 

KLTV 7 posted video footage from a security camera that captured when the vandalism occurred at St. Mary Magdalene Catholic Church Sept. 7. 

The grainy footage, which appears to have been captured at nighttime, shows a suspect approaching the statue and breaking pieces off of it before running back across the parking lot, outside of camera view. The outlet reports that the statue of Jesus is now without hands or a nose. 

Clark was previously diagnosed with schizophrenia, and his father told authorities that his son is a practitioner of witchcraft and Satan worship, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by the outlet and CBS 19. 

The affidavit said a Smith County Sheriff’s Office investigator was given “an anonymous tip about a man living near the church who had been acting strangely,” CBS 19 reported Sept. 12.

“Using the address provided, investigators discovered that Clark had visited a local hospital in June, where he was identified as schizophrenic,” the outlet also reported. 

Clark’s father told the investigator that “his son refuses to take his schizophrenia medication” and that the gait of the suspect in the security camera footage was similar to his son’s. 

CBS 19 reported that Clark’s father also said “he wasn’t surprised by the incident because Clark is a ‘worshipper of Satan,’” having “denounced Christianity several years ago and adopted satanic beliefs,” according to the affidavit. Clark’s bond is set at $400,000.