Woman, Who Wrote '666' On Church Walls And Attacked Police Officer With Stolen Crucifix, Arrested

A woman was arrested Tuesday by police in Haverhill, Massachusetts, after she wrote the numbers “666” several times on a local church’s wall and tried to attack a police officer with a stolen metal crucifix. Amarellis Cermeno, 54, was arrested on charges including assault using a deadly weapon, malicious destruction of property and destruction of a place of worship.

Cermeno was being held without bail on Tuesday night and her arraignment was scheduled to be heard Wednesday. Police found the numbers "666" written in 15 places on the La Iglesia Biblica Bautista church wall, and a witness reportedly took a picture of the suspect walking with a suitcase with an American flag. When police tried to approach Cermeno, she tried attacking Detective Sergeant Dana Burrill with a metal crucifix, The Boston Globe reported.

In popular culture, the number 666 is usually made in reference to Satan, or the anti-Christ, according to My Fox Boston. The latest incident comes just days after a baby Jesus statue was stolen on Christmas morning from a Nativity scene outside the Sacred Hearts Church in Haverhill and replaced it with the severed head of a pig.

It was later found that the crucifix in Cermeno’s possession was also stolen from the Sacred Hearts Church, donated after the baby Jesus was stolen, NECN, a local news network reported. However, it was not immediately clear if Cermeno had anything to do with the theft of the baby Jesus.

No arrests have been made yet in the Sacred Hearts Church theft case, however, police said that, “The investigation of the baby Jesus theft at Sacred Hearts Church remains open at this time,” according to The Boston Globe.