MADAWASKA, Maine — A man accused of vandalizing St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church may face hate crime charges for causing “hundreds of thousands” of dollars in damage to the building.
Ronald Lavoie, 47, of Madawaska, was arrested on Monday in connection with the incident.
Madawaska Police Chief Jamie Pelletier said on Wednesday the most significant damage was to the pipe organ, which is expensive to repair or replace. He said marble walls were damaged along with plate glass windows and other items in the church’s sanctuary.
Lavoie was charged with burglary and aggravated criminal mischief. Both are Class C felonies, punishable by up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine. He was taken to the Aroostook County Jail in Houlton.
The chief said the incident may be investigated as a hate crime, and that he will be calling the Attorney General’s office for guidance. Interfering with people’s right to practice religion falls under Maine’s hate crime law.
The incident was reported at 3 a.m., Monday. Pelletier said the person who called said they saw lights on in the church. When officers arrived, Lavoie was found sitting inside the church.
“He wasn’t doing anything of interest at that point,” Pelletier said.
Pelletier said it is unlikely that Lavoie’s actions could have endangered anyone associated with the church.
“I don’t think he had the intention of harming anyone,” Pelletier said.
As of Wednesday, the exact monetary value associated with the damage was still unclear as it depends on cost estimates from multiple sources. Church officials told police the damages are estimated to be hundreds of thousands of dollars, according to Pelletier.
Susan Lafreniere, Director of Public Policy for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland, said they are still assessing the damages.
“Things are being moved over to the Knights of Columbus Hall for all of our religious education classes,” she said, “and all the regularly scheduled Masses are going to move over to St. David’s [Catholic Church in Madawaska].”
It is currently unclear how long the church will remain closed for services.
“We are in the middle of figuring out the extent of the damage,” Lafreniere said. “So we don’t really have an estimate on how long it’s going to take yet.”
