Barnesville woman charged with spray-painting Jesus statue in Fargo

FARGO (KVRR) – A Barnesville, Minn. woman is accused of vandalizing a statue of Jesus outside St. Mary’s Cathedral in downtown Fargo.

The Fargo City Prosecutor’s Office says 28-year-old Blair Whitten has been charged with one count of misdemeanor criminal mischief. Whitten was arrested and was scheduled to appear in Fargo Municipal Court Friday.

The face of the marble statue at 604 Broadway was spray-painted black.  Police say the incident happened in the early morning hours of April 17.

The statue has been located outside the main entrance to St. Mary’s since 2018.  It came from a church that closed in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati.

Whitten was arrested in May after she allegedly disrupted the funeral of an ex-boyfriend.  Witnesses said she drove over several graves and nearly hit two people during the service.  No one was injured.