It's true. Back in July, the boy had some pictures taken of him kneeling in front of a statue of Jesus pretending like he was getting some head. The pictures were posted on Facebook and eventually came to the attention of the local district attorney's office.
The ministry who owns the statue, Love in the Name of Christ, wasn't happy about the pictures. But they didn't want to press criminal charges. And they accepted the boy's apology. Basically, they asked folks to pray for the kid.
But Bedford County district attorney Bill Higgins had the boy arrested, charging him with "Desecration of a Venerated Object," which is a 2nd degree misdemeanor. He wants the boy tried in juvenile court as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, Higgins feels pretty good that others think it's ridiculous that he has criminally charged this teen in this instance:
I guess I should take solace in the fact that the liberals are mad at me—again. As for this case, this troubled young man offended the sensibilities and morals of OUR community.… His actions constitute a violation of the law, and he will be prosecuted accordingly. If that tends to upset the 'anti-Christian, ban-school-prayer, war-on-Christmas, oppose-display-of-Ten-Commandments' crowd, I make no apologies.You read that correctly, Bill Higgins cited Fox News' annual "War of Christmas" in support for this criminal prosecution.
Speaking of Fox News, Bill Higgins is reaching out to various Fox News personalities in an effort to bolster support for his cause:
And just because Bill Higgins is citing is conservative Christian values, it's worth noting that he came under a bit of professional heat back in 2008 for committing adultery with a woman at the Bedford County courthouse. Then again, the values of his community -- those same values that support the criminal prosecution of a 14-year-old boy for posing in a stupid photo -- re-elected Higgins. So what do I know?