Police: Fiend Relieved Himself In Church Font

MAY 5--A registered sex offender urinated into a holy water font in a Pennsylvania church, according to investigators who have charged the 51-year-old suspect with desecrating the sanctuary.

Police allege that Jesse Sokoll last month entered Saint Patrick Catholic Church in York and wandered about the building (which was unlocked and open to the public).

After browsing through the lost and found box in the church vestibule, Sokoll “approached the pedestal containing the holy water,” according to a probable cause affidavit.

The police officer who prepared the affidavit noted that the pedestal “is considered an object of venernation,” and that Sokoll “desecrated it by polluting it with urine.” The incident appears to have been recorded by a security camera.

A church worker “did confirm that the holy water was contaminated with urine,” the cop added.

Sokoll, seen at right, was identified as the suspect following a review of his prior booking photos. Sokoll was arrested for intentional desecration of a venerated object, a second degree misdemeanor that carries a maximum two-year prison sentence.

Free on $5000 unsecured bail, Sokoll is scheduled for a May 6 preliminary hearing in District Court.

According to court records, Sokoll’s rap sheet includes convictions for theft; criminal trespass; reckless driving; disorderly conduct; and driving without a license. He was convicted in 2014 of indecent assault without consent, a crime for which he was required to register as a sex offender upon his release from custody.

Classified as a Tier 1 offender, Sokoll is required to report annually with the Pennsylvania State Police for a period of 15 years. (2 pages)