Suspect in Pa. Nativity desecration gets sentencing alternative

WILKES-BARRE, Pa. (AP) — A northeastern Pennsylvania Roman Catholic college student who admits he urinated on a Nativity scene has been ordered into a program for first-time offenders.

Nathan Strawn, 23, reached an agreement with Luzerne County prosecutors to have the charges cleared from his record if he completes an Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition program.

Police say an officer saw Strawn urinating on the Nativity scene on Wilkes-Barre’s Public Square on Jan. 10 after a night of drinking. He was charged with indecent exposure, desecration of a venerated object and open lewdness.

The King’s College student repeatedly has apologized for his actions and says he’s stopped drinking. Strawn says he was kicked out of school for a semester but is being allowed to return on a part-time basis.