Woman charged after SW Dade church vandalized
MIAMI - A woman accused of vandalizing a southwest Miami-Dade church was taken into custody over the weekend.
According to police, security video showed 44-year-old Alfa Illescas walking through one of the gates at Saint Timothy Catholic Church, at 102nd Avenue and Miller Drive, and spray painting the walls.
Police said she also spray-painted areas in the courtyard, broke parts of the altar of a saint located in front of the church and kicked over trash bins.
"Places of worship are a staple of our community where many go to pray and practice their religious beliefs," said Miami-Dade Police Director Alfredo Freddy Ramirez III. "I am very proud of the tenacity and hard work of our Homeland Security Bureau investigators to arrest the individual responsible for this pointless crime."
Illescas has been charged with criminal mischief at a place of worship.