Sacred Heart Hit With Vandalism Twice Within Week

Prince George's County Police are investigating a string of vandalism at the Sacred Heart Church on Annapolis Road in Bowie.

The second case was discovered today at 8:30 a.m., when a maintenance person noticed the statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary, valued at more than $3,000, had been knocked off of its pedestal. 

Police were notified at 9:24 a.m. and Prince George's County Police responded to the scene because of the church's location, which is just outside Bowie's city limits.

The vandalism is not being classified as a hate crime at this point, as there have been no specific threats or language to indicate the crime was committed with a hateful malice. "At this point, they're just knocking things over," Officer Owen Britton, the responding officer, said.

Sacred Heart's Pastor, Rev. Charles Parry, fears the vandals will strike again and stressed the severity of what they've done. "If it's the same thing each week, they're going to keep coming back," he said. "It isn't just an object sitting there, it's desecration. Those are both blessed items."

There are no leads on a suspect and the investigation is ongoing.

The first incident was more damaging and was discovered exactly a week ago on the morning of Sept. 29. The 4-foot, Sacred Heart statue, valued at about $1,000, had parts smashed off, was knocked off its pedestal and dragged down the driveway of the church. The statue was then tossed, face down, into the stream at the entrance of the church. The statue was sent away for repairs early Wednesday morning, the same morning that the second incident was discovered.

Parry said he has no idea who could be behind the vandalism, and says that nothing the church has been doing has provoked anybody, or has been controversial.

In both cases, the vandalism happened between 10 p.m. and 9 a.m., as the church had meetings both nights preceding the property damage. The Prince George's County Police are conducting an ongoing investigation.

If you have any information regarding the vandalism, call the Prince George's County Police's non-emergency line at 301-333-4000.