A Green Bay man has been charged after he tried to "forcibly enter" the Church of the Gesu on Marquette's campus on Easter Sunday.
Aron Ferris was charged Friday with criminal damage to religious property, a felony, and disorderly conduct, with a modifier of use of a dangerous weapon.
According to the complaint, Ferris forced his way into the church with an ax and told officers who responded to the church that he was God. Ferris went on to say that he brought a gun "so that he could get attention and draw the media."
He told officers that he thought there would be people at the church to tell his story to since it was Easter.
Watch: Man charged with trying to forcibly enter Marquette's Church of the Gesu
Students on campus remain shaken by the Easter Sunday break-in. Marquette freshman Frank DeFranco attends the church weekly.
"Just an unfortunate situation, hopefully we can bounce back from it," DeFranco said.
DeFranco says it is a delicate balance for churches to be a welcoming place while maintaining security.
"It is tough because obviously with the religion, you want to let everyone in, because that’s just how the Christian way is. Obviously, now it’s tough; you obviously can’t trust everyone," DeFranco said.
Officers found Ferris to be carrying:
- A Zune Totoo axe
- A green carrying case for the axe
- An Annihilate brand knife
- A knife that appeared to be homemade
- A Leatherman multitool
- A red case with a broken down Ruger 9mm rifle with one cartridge in the chamber.
Also inside the case were four magazines, containing 8, 14, 16, and 21 9mm cartridges, for a total of 60 9mm cartridges.
Marquette University police responded to the scene shortly after 4:30 p.m. on April 5. The damage was cleaned up shortly before 6 p.m.
The damage to the church doors was estimated at $50,000.
The incident came less than a month after another person was charged with vandalism after causing damage inside the church, including overturning tables, scattering candles, and breaking a statue. The suspect, Demetres Xaviar Henderson, was charged with criminal damage to property over $25,000.
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