Utica Man Arrested For Disrupting Service At Lourdes Church

Utica Police arrested a man for allegedly disrupting a service at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church on Genesee Street.

According to police, 62-year-old Harry Brown of Utica entered the sanctuary of the church prior to the 4:00 p.m. mass on Saturday.

Brown began yelling and causing a disturbance. He was shouting religious verses and physically disrupting church property.

Members of the congregation acted quickly to contain the man until officers arrived. Police ultimately took the man into custody and he was charged with one count of Disrupting a Religious Service, a class A Misdemeanor.

Utica Police want to thank Fr. Joe Salerno and the parishioners of Our Lady of Lourdes for acting quickly and bravely in quelling a potentially dangerous situation.