JEFF TURNER

PLAINFIELD, Ind. — A 21-year-old Indiana man who told investigators he targeted the Maple Grove Baptist Church in Plainfield because of his involvement in Satanic groups has been sentenced to 10 months in federal prison for vandalizing a Baptist church sign, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Indiana.

Steven James Perkinson, of Plainfield, Indiana, pleaded guilty to intentional damage to religious property and making a false statement to a United States agency. Chief Judge James R. Sweeney II of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana imposed the sentence, which includes three years of supervised release following Perkinson’s prison term.

Investigators say a forensic review of Perkinson’s cell phone revealed searches for local churches, including “Maple Grove Baptist Church Plainfield,” “Churches near me,” and “Plainfield Bible Church photos.” His phone also contained searches for occult-related terms, including “Noctulian Blood Covenant” and “Nexion 435,” as well as searches for the “address of largest Jewish church in America,” the press release said.

Agents also found online messages in which Perkinson claimed to have access to firearms and encouraged mass violence, along with photographs of him posing with recently deceased animals and evidence that he had set fire to a dumpster, according to the press release.

Perkinson told investigators he was motivated by involvement in various Satanic groups and that he targeted the sign specifically because it belonged to a Christian church.

On Nov. 18, 2024, Perkinson spray-painted a pitchfork and the numbers “666” over the display on the sign in front of Maple Grove Baptist Church in Plainfield, and painted an “X” over the sign’s cross symbol, the press release said.

When agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation first questioned him, Perkinson denied any knowledge of involvement in the vandalism. He admitted to the act only after agents executed a search warrant on his cell phone.

The FBI had first become aware of Perkinson in 2023 following an Instagram post referencing school shootings, according to the press release.

Perkinson had no prior criminal record. The case was investigated by the FBI.