Although Michael Tate Reed professed to be a Satanist and told officials that Satan directed him to commit a crime, his mother maintains that he is a devout Christian.
Reed reportedly urinated on a Ten Commandments monument on Thursday before ramming into it with his car. His mother, Crystal Tucker, stated that he was "attracted" to the monument because of his strong faith.
The six-foot-tall monument had stood in front of the Oklahoma City capitol building for two years, but was smashed into pieces after the act of vandalism. Tucker said that after a work-related injury four years ago, her son began having "breakdowns."
"The one thing that is foremost in his mind, his religion, is the thing he takes it out on," she told KOCO-TV. "A statue of the Ten Commandments would be something that would attract him. Anyone who knows Michael, knows he loves his God. Right now, everyone is praying for him."
Reed, 29, was detained on Friday after arriving at an Oklahoma City federal building and making disparaging remarks about President Obama. He also admitted to the act of vandalism committed Thursday night.
"He said Satan told him to do it, and that he was a Satanist," Secret Service agent David Allison told the Associated Press.
Tucker emphatically denied that her son is a Satanist.
"He would never deface something that meant so much to him," she insisted. "He takes the Ten Commandments very seriously. He has been very Christian his entire adult life."
Reed was charged with destruction of state property or improvements, indecent exposure, making threatening statements, reckless driving, operating a vehicle with a revoked license, four counts of felony assault, and battery with a dangerous weapon.
The Ten Commandments monument is also the subject of a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union. A judge decided last month that the monument does not violate the state's constitution, and the ACLU has filed an appeal.
The Satanic Temple planned to erect a Baphomet statue near the Ten Commandments monument, and stated that their plans will proceed if the monument is rebuilt. Governor Mary Fallin has said that she will help raise funds to rebuild the monument.
