Nativity scene desecrations may be hate crimes

EUGENE, Ore. -- Two separate Eugene families whose Nativity scenes were desecrated last week when a vandal replaced the baby Jesus figures with severed pigs' heads say they were targeted because of their religious faith.

The culprits left other, more secular decorations untouched and focused only on the families' religious displays.

"To me, they definitely wanted to make a religious statement," said David Stahl of Eugene, who discovered a pig head in his front yard Thursday. "This takes definite thought and too much anger."

Eugene police are investigating the cases as possible bias crimes, a classification that could lead to harsher sentences if the vandals are ever caught.

Under Oregon's hate-crime law, first passed in 1983, prosecutors need evidence of intent to upset or harm a person or community because of their race, color, national origin, religion or sexual orientation.

Eugene Police Chief Robert Lehner said it's too early to tell whether the recent Nativity defacements amount to hate crimes, because police have just begun their investigation and no arrests have been made.

If found guilty of a hate crime, which Oregon law calls "intimidation," the culprits face anything from five years in prison to three years of probation, depending on their criminal history.

Shannon Cooper, owner of the other damaged Nativity scene, said in her mind, it does qualify as a bias crime.

"Pranksters don't just carry pig heads around in paper bags," she said.

The Cooper family replaced their baby Jesus with a swaddled doll that they tied down to prevent further thefts.

Stahl said the incident frightened his children, ages 9 and 13.

"We tried to explain to them that in other countries if you don't follow the religion you're more than persecuted," he said. "But that doesn't happen here, and that's what makes this country great. This shouldn't happen in America."

The theft prompted Stahl to remove the rest of his Christmas decorations, leaving only lights to brighten his yard for the holidays.