Signs of Easter morning's defilement at St. Peter Chanel Catholic Church in Roswell are all but gone now.
And although a commercial restorer worked a minor miracle in removing paint sprayed on a statue of Jesus in front of the church, outrage and sadness prevail in the community.
Police said Monday that they plan to file felony charges if they make an arrest in the case.
"Vandalism to a place of worship is a felony," Roswell police Lt. James McGee said. "Depending on what the motivations of that suspect are, it could be bumped up to a hate crime."
In the meantime, McGee said, police are checking video surveillance cameras from nearby buildings, canvassing the neighborhood and testing the paint used in the crime. As of late Monday, police were still seeking the public's help in the case.
The vandalism was discovered Sunday morning just before Easter services. Pink paint was sprayed on the face and hands, and the $80,000 statue was marked elsewhere with offensive symbols, including a pentagram.
“There’s probably a signal behind this,” Roswell police Lt. Ken Kraus told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “Some type of retaliation or some type of hatred toward this kind of church or religion.” Kraus said the pentagram is "typically ... a satanic, demonic" symbol.
The church's pastor, the Rev. Peter Rau, said after his initial hurt, he speculated the vandalism was an attempt to "block" Christ from being seen on the very day he appeared to his followers after his death.
"It's sad to see this is part of the world we live in," he said.
Trey Caso, a freshman at nearby Blessed Trinity High School, said he thinks the desecration was more than a prank.
"I think it was somebody who was really trying to hurt somebody by doing this," he said. "I don't think a teenager would take it this far."
Dan Shimek of New York was visiting the church as a possible home parish when he relocates in the near future.
"It's awful," he said. "Obviously it was planned to be done on Easter."
Parishioners were relieved to see the markings gone Monday afternoon. John Morley with the Morley Cos. of Alpharetta applied a citric-based graffiti remover. The damage was not as bad as first feared, and Morley was able to remove the paint after a few hours.
“I thought the least I could do was make this headache go away for them,” he said. “They were very appreciative.”
Staff writer Mike Morris contributed to this article.
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