A high school sophomore in Clearwater, Florida, admitted to police he fired ball bearings with a Marksman slingshot that destroyed the image of the Virgin Mary in an office building window. The 60-ft. tall oily image appeared miraculously in 1996, and has been the focus of visits by believers and the curious. The attack took place on March 1, 2004, destroying the top three panes of glass. Information received last week led investigators to question18-year old Kyle Maskell. Maskell, an angry teenager driven by guilt to confess, said he was sorry. Update - July 13, 2004 - Downey jailed Maskell for 10 days and ordered him to pay the ministry $1,200 for the damage. The owners of the building didn't want to press charges, but apparently the attorney general did.

2005: Apparently part of the image remains. In January, the building owners installed bulletproof glass over the whole thing to prevent another incident. [05/23/2004]

February 10, 2012