Baby Jesus statue vandalized again at a Sudbury church
For a second time in six years, vandals have beheaded a statue of Jesus at a church in Sudbury’s downtown core.
Officials at Sainte-Anne-Des-Pins Catholic Church said the statue of Mary and baby Jesus has been vandalized on two separate occasions this year alone.
"The statue itself seems to be an article they focus on," said Michel Chretien, with Sainte-Anne-Des-Pins. "First of all, the arms were broken maybe a month and a half ago, and then the head itself was gone."
In addition to the statue being damaged, those involved with the church said there has been other property damaged over the past few years.
"We’ve had wires for the internet, wires for the air conditioning cut -- even a few weeks back we had a small tree cut on the grounds,” Chretien said.
The church has added surveillance cameras as well as private property signage around its grounds, but Chretien said that has not kept vandals away.
"We do pick up 10 to 30 needles a day, especially in the mornings. At the moment, we are studying the possibility of putting a fence around the church grounds. It should be done within the next (year) or so,” he said.
Greater Sudbury Police said in the past several months, officers have conducted 960 patrols either on foot, by bike or in their cruisers in the downtown area.
"This is a 52 per cent increase in comparison to last year," said Kaitlyn Dunn, a spokesperson for the Greater Sudbury Police Service. "During COVID-19, we have seen a lot of our vulnerable population displaced in the downtown core and with this reduction in foot traffic as well as vehicle traffic, we have seen an increase in the visibility of crime. So, break and enters, mischiefs, and property thefts."
Dunn said it’s important for community members and business owners to report all property crimes through the online reporting system.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.