Man charged with defiling altar at Lakeville church

By Kelsey Lund

A Lakeville man with a history of mental illness was charged with a felony on Tuesday after he poured a liquid thought to be urine on a church altar during a Saturday night mass, the Pioneer Press reported.

Steven Richard Fay, 34, was arrested at All Saints Catholic Church in Lakeville on Saturday and charged with second-degree criminal damage to property, the Star Tribune said.

The charge that would normally be a gross misdemeanor was changed to a felony since Fay performed a "hate-based crime" against a religious institution, the Star Tribune reported.

Fay had three previous mental illness commitment cases in 1999, 2004 and 2006 in Dakota County, the Star Tribune reported.

Bail was set at $40,000 by the court, the Pioneer Press reported.