Woman charged with vandalizing California Buddhist temples

SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) — A woman with a record of vandalizing Buddhist statues in Southern California has been charged with causing more damage at temples.

Trang Thu Pham of Santa Ana was charged Friday with eight counts of vandalism, including hate-crime allegations.

Authorities say Pham used a rock to break off the hands and fingers of statues at temples in Santa Ana and Garden Grove. The damage is estimated around $100,000.

Police identified Pham through surveillance footage from the temples and arrested her Wednesday. It’s unclear if she has an attorney.

Pham was sentenced to two years for committing grand theft and hate crime vandalism of religious property after stealing three gold statues from a Buddhist temple in Santa Ana in 2017.

She faces up to 12 years if convicted in the new case.