A 30-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly toppling a statue of the Ten Commandments on courthouse property in Kalispell, Montana, according to local law enforcement officials.
Kalispell Police Department said its officers, along with Flathead County Sheriff’s Office and Montana Highway Patrol, were called to 800 South Main Street among receiving a report regarding a man, later identified as Anthony Weimer, wrapping a chain around the monument and then promptly pulling it with his pick-up truck into the street on Saturday at 3:45 p.m., NBC Montana first reported.
Kalispell Police Department officers swiftly tracked down Weimer, who is being held at Flathead County Detention Center on felony criminal mischief charges. He is expected to appear in court on Monday.
“Kalispell City Council was asked to take possession of the statue and six others that included historical texts from the Bill of Rights and Declaration of Independence at the courthouse. Together, the monuments formed a “cornerstone of law” display,” Fox News noted. “The council declined, fearing a lawsuit on First Amendment separation of church and state grounds.”
Weimer’s motive for yanking down the statue is presently unclear.