February 24, 2003

Judge sentences teen vandals to donkey duty
___FAIRPORT HARBOR, Ohio (RNS)--The religious symbolism was hard to miss as church members clutching Bibles watched a young couple trudge down a snow-covered road in search of salvation.
___Jesus wasn't there for the ride, but the procession through Fairport Harbor went on anyway, with plenty of fanfare, provided mostly by the media and passersby.

JESSICA Lange, left, and Brian Patrick, both 19, lead Sidney, a donkey provided by a petting zoo, through the streets of Fairport Harbor, Ohio, seeking forgiveness for defacing a statue of the baby Jesus stolen from a Nativity scene on Christmas Eve. (RNS Photo)

___Jessica Lange and Brian Patrick, both 19, had been ordered to make the procession after they admitted defacing a statue of the baby Jesus stolen from the Nativity scene at St. Anthony's Catholic Church on Christmas Eve.
___There were no palms to wave. But groups of residents, clustered outside homes and businesses, clutched coffee cups and nodded as the pair walked through the tiny lakefront village looking for forgiveness for an act of vandalism.
___They led Sidney, a gentle donkey provided by a Madison Township petting zoo, through the streets carrying a sign that said, "Sorry for the ... offense."
___The procession allowed Lange and Patrick to avoid a longer jail sentence.
___Police said the statue of the baby Jesus was stabbed and the Satanic numerals "666" painted on it.
___As part of their sentence, the teenagers are required to replace the statue, but they have had trouble locating one that isn't part of a Nativity set. Once they find a statue, they are to deliver it to the church.
___"This is a kind of conscience-flogging," said Painesville Municipal Judge Michael Cicconetti, who is known for his unusual sentences meant to shame criminals. "It is intended to bring them some public humiliation. Hopefully it will serve as a deterrent."
___Starting at the church, the two slogged through snow-spattered streets for about 30 minutes leading the donkey on a rope.
___

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