A Long Island woman is facing charges after police said she took the head off a statue of Jesus Christ at a Catholic church, leaving parishioners shaken, confused and angry. A plastic tarp now covers the vandalized statue at St. Mary’s Church in East Islip, where flowers have been left in the c ourtyard since the incident last Friday. “It’s terrible, just terrible that somebody would desecrate a statue of Jesus,” parishioner Chris Cortina said. Authorities charged 41-year-old Deyonna Suber, who officials described as homeless, in connection with the vandalism. During her arraignment in Suffolk County court, her attorney denied the allegations. “Right now the only position we have taken is to deny the charges,” Suber’s lawyer said, while also noting that there are no allegations the incident was a hate crime or that Suber harbored anti-Catholic bias. A judge nevertheless ordered Suber to stay away from the church while the case proceeds. “It’s a terrible thing. I just ask people to pray for the person who did this,” said the church’s pastor, Rev. Anthony Iaconis. By the end of the week, the Suffolk PBA and others had pledged to help pay for the restoration work. Even without hate crime charges, some parishioners viewed the destruction as another attack on religion. “Hope she gets the help she needs. This sounds like a sick person to me,” a church member said. The statue has stood in the courtyard at St. Mary’s Church for about 12 years and has become a familiar backdrop for First Communion photos taken by families celebrating the sacrament. “It means a lot, it’s part of our sacred space. And to see the head lopped off, it’s just awful,” Cortina said. Police estimate the damage at around $1,500. It was not immediately clear how long the repairs to the statue might take. This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC New York. AI tools helped convert the story to a digital article, and an NBC New York journalist edited the article for publication. ...read more read less