The vandal who smashed windows and statues at St. Dominic’s Church on Monday should face justice for his crimes, says Assemblyman William Colton (D—Gravesend, Bensonhurst, Bath Beach and Dyker Heights).

The individual suspected in the vandalism was apprehended by police a short time after he was seen and videoed in the act by an alert neighbor, who called 911 to report what she was witnessing. However, says Assemblyman Colton, he has been told that the suspect, a 30-year-old man, has a history of mental illness, which the assemblyman says should not mean he is simply given a slap on the wrist and freed so he can commit another, similar crime.

“They can’t just let him back onto the streets,” Assemblyman Colton contended. “He knew what he was doing. It was clearly premeditated. He brought a hammer with him from home, and even smashed car windows on the way to the church. Legally, even if he is mentally ill, as long as he knew what he was doing he can be held to account for his actions, and he should be, even though he has no record. If a judge determines he was aware of what he was doing, he needs to be tried and if found guilty, he needs to be sentenced to jail time. He can be treated for his mental health issues while he serves his sentence.

“This was not a victimless crime,” the assemblyman added, “because a hateful attack against a church, a synagogue or a mosque has, as its victim, God himself and all members of that house of worship. The community must remain vigilant as to how our justice system handles this hate crime against a religious institution in our community. Such attacks will not be tolerated and we must demand that justice be done.”

St. Dominic’s Roman Catholic Church is at 20th Avenue and Bay Ridge Parkway.