At least one passerby and a Warren County dispatcher called Monroe police to report the blaze late Monday. The dispatcher conveyed the information to Monroe after receiving reports about the fire on the county's main 911 line, said Lt. Brian Curlis of Monroe police.
Curlis listened to the tape and said he can hear a dispatcher "chuckle" when the county dispatcher called back to report that only the right hand of the Jesus statue was on fire.
" I don't think the person meant any disrespect by it," he said. "But I am sure it caught everyone' s amusement that the statue was on fire. Obvioiusly it is amusing to some people that the statue caught on fire because obviously the news media has picked it up all over the country. It is a shame it caught on fire. We are just glad nobody got hurt."
?Hey, it?s county,? the county dispatcher told the Monroe dispatcher. ?Did you get a call for the Jesus being on fire at Solid rock yet??
?Noooo!? she responded.
?Apparently it?s been struck by lightning and it?s now on fire,? he told her.
?Nice,? the dispatcher wryly said.
The county dispatcher called back at least twice to report more details on the blaze, including that the right hand of the statue was burning.
The other caller passed by and reported the blaze.
?The emergency is at Solid Rock Church on Union Road!? the passerby said. ?Lightning struck the statue of Jesus! It?s on fire. Thank you. Bye?.
I've been watching, and you've been lying.
Last edited by Raiden on Fri Jun 25, 2010 5:17 pm, edited 2 times in total.
