Topless woman who broke into Catholic church is accused of destroying statue of Jesus

Brittney Marie Reynolds (35) is accused of breaking into St Mary’s Cathedral on Main Street in Fargo where she pulled the Jesus statue worth more than €10,000 from the wall and smashed it into pieces.

Fargo police said they responded to a call at around 6.30pm on Tuesday of a topless woman damaging property.

When officers arrived, they said they saw a woman running across the street but were able to detain her.

According to court documents, the woman also had no shoes on. Police identified her as 35-year-old Brittney Marie Reynolds.

Officers said Reynolds was not able to answer basic questions and appeared to be under the influence of narcotics.

According to court documents, security camera footage that was given to authorities shows Reynolds entering the church and knock over a potted plant before making her way to a large Jesus statue on the wall.

The statue was ripped from the wall and smashed on the floor. The woman on the video can be seen leaving shortly after that.

Reynolds was being held at the Cass County Jail and was set to make her first court appearance on Wednesday.

Officials also issued an additional warrant for Reynolds after she was accused of assaulting Essentia Health Emergency Room staff.

Officers say that Reynolds may have been under the influence of narcotics as she was unable to answer basic questions, while the local reverend provided CCTV footage of the incident.

Should Reynolds be convicted of the criminal mischief charge, she could face a maximum of 10 years in prison as well as a $10,000 fine.

Paul Braun, director of communications for the Catholic Diocese of Fargo, told Fox News Digital that Reynolds was not a church parishioner and that the church is frequently used by the local homeless population as a place to keep warm.

"We were saddened to see the damage done to a very old statue at our Cathedral, and we hope the person responsible gets the help they need," Braun said. "We are praying for that person as well."