Indiana man gets 10 months in federal prison for vandalizing church with Satanic imagery

By Michael Gryboski, Editor Wednesday, March 04, 2026

An Indiana man who vandalized a church with Satanic images has been sentenced to 10 months in federal prison, as well as three years of supervised release.

Steven James Perkinson, a 21-year-old resident of Plainfield, received the sentence from U.S. District Court Chief Judge James R. Sweeney II.

According to an announcement from the U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of Indiana, issued Tuesday, Perkinson had previously pleaded guilty to intentional damage to religious property and making a false statement to an agency of the United States.

Tom Wheeler, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana, said the “sentence makes clear that hate‑fueled vandalism and threats of violence will be met with swift and serious federal consequences.”

“Targeting any house of worship because of its faith is an attack on the fundamental freedoms that define our nation. This defendant’s conduct, paired with his disturbing online activity, posed a real threat to those liberties,” said Wheeler.

On Nov. 18, 2024, Perkinson vandalized the sign in front of Maple Grove Baptist Church of Plainfield, spray-painting a pitchfork and the numbers “666." He also painted over the sign’s cross with an “X.”

Initially, Perkinson denied any knowledge of the incident when questioned by agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

However, he later admitted to the vandalism, saying that he was inspired by his involvement in Satanic organizations. When investigators searched his cell phone, they discovered that Perkinson had searched for terms like “Maple Grove Baptist Church Plainfield,” “Churches near me,” “Plainfield Bible Church photos,” and terms associated with occult groups, including “Noctulian Blood Covenant” and “Nexion 435.”

A search of his phone also revealed evidence of what the Attorney’s Office called “violent ideation,” as Perkinson also searched for the “address of largest Jewish church in America." Investigators also found online messages with Perkinson claiming to have access to firearms and encouraging mass violence, photographs of him posing with recently deceased animals, and evidence that he had set a dumpster on fire.

According to a report from the Family Research Council released last year, over 400 acts of hostility were recorded against churches and their properties in the U.S. in 2024.

The FRC report had recorded 415 hostile acts in 43 states, which had impacted 383 congregations, based on information collected from multiple sources.

"Although the motivations for many of these incidents remain unknown, the rise in crimes against churches is taking place in a context in which fewer Americans are attending religious services or identifying with a specific faith," the report stated.