Man who vandalized Wichita Catholic church gets nearly 3 years in prison
A 23-year-old man who this summer pleaded guilty to vandalizing a Catholic church in Wichita, Kansas, was sentenced Oct. 10 to nearly three years in prison.
A 23-year-old man who this summer pleaded guilty to vandalizing a Catholic church in Wichita, Kansas, was sentenced Oct. 10 to nearly three years in prison.
CatholicVote previously reported that Michael A. Gonzalez broke into St. Patrick Catholic Church in March and destroyed statues, candles, windows, and other objects within the church. He defaced the church, burned an American flag, and wrote the URL of a satanic website on one of the walls.
Local CBS affiliate KWCH reported that a district court judge sentenced Gonzalez to two years and 10 months in prison for the vandalism, which occurred in Sedgwick County. Gonzalez reportedly has previously been convicted in a nearby county for criminal threat, criminal damage to property, and burglary.
Hays Post reported that Gonzalez pleaded guilty in July to felony charges of burglary and criminal desecration and misdemeanor charges of theft and criminal damage to property in connection with the church vandalism. Sedgwick County District Attorney Marc Bennett stated in a press release that the sentence ensures “accountability and justice for the harm caused to the historic church and its congregation.”
As CatholicVote previously reported, the vandalism drew national attention after the FBI launched an investigation into the incident, and President Donald Trump publicly called it “a terrible thing.”
According to CatholicVote’s violence tracker, the attack on St. Patrick was the 13th of 52 attacks on Catholic churches committed so far this year.
