A North Dakota man allegedly high on methamphetamine climbed into a church’s holy water fountain while nude — all while parishioners were attending a service, police said.
Zachary Burdick, 21, was arrested early Tuesday at the Spirit of Life Roman Catholic Church in Mandan after church officials called police about a man exposing himself, KFYR reports.
Burdick, of Mandan, was asked to leave the church — which also houses a preschool — earlier in the day after he was spotted by church officials trying to bless people with The Book of Mormon, police spokeswoman Lori Flaten told the station.
Burdick returned to the church and stripped down before hopping into its holy water fountain. He then got out and walked down the aisle while masturbating as a group of worshipers were attending Mass. The church will now drain, sterilize and re-bless its holy water after the incident, Flaten told the Bismarck Tribune.
It’s unclear how many people were attending the service or if children from the preschool were present at the time, Flaten told The Post during a brief interview. Burdick is not believed to be a parishioner at the church, she said.
Burdick, who was arrested for ingestion of meth, criminal mischief and indecent exposure, describes himself as a “rapper, producer [and] songwriter” on his Facebook page. He did not immediately return a message seeking comment on Thursday.
Church officials referred inquiries to the Diocese of Bismarck. A message left there was not immediately returned.