PORTSMOUTH, N.H. (AP) – Police have charged three men, including one from Maine, with criminal mischief accusing them of vandalizing a statue of the Virgin Mary at St. Catherine’s Church.

Police said the statue was removed from the church garden and hung from a light fixture with a garden hose at the main entrance on May 27.

Police said Thursday the three turned themselves in at the police station and remorsefully admitted their involvement in the incident. They were freed in $5,000 bail each for a July 12 District Court appearance.

They were identified as Benjamin Hodgkins, 17, of Northwood, N.H.; Nathan Bragg, 24, of Seabrook, N.H.; and Kenneth Joslyn, 21, of South Berwick.

AP-ES-06-03-04 1839EDT