A Hopkinsville man could spend up to three years in prison after he pleaded guilty to destroying a religious statue at a Catholic church.

According to court documents, Marley Taylor, 27, pleaded guilty to felony damage to religious property. A plea agreement filed Nov. 3 said Taylor drove to a Catholic church in Hopkinsville in late January and "violently swung an axe multiple times at a statue of Mary holding baby Jesus and chopped off both of the statue's heads."

The statue's destruction resulted in damages exceeding $35,000. The plea agreement said Taylor admitted to intentionally destroying the property due to its religious significance.

"We cannot and will not accept attacks on the free exercise of religion, nor the desecration of sacred religious symbols," U.S. Attorney Kyle G. Bu

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