Boston: Quincy woman charged with defacing statue to be evaluated

BOSTON (AP) – A woman accused of throwing yellow paint on a memorial depicting the famed 54th Massachusetts Civil War regiment has been sent for a mental health evaluation.

38-year-old Rosemine Occean of Quincy was charged Wednesday with vandalizing a historic marker and two counts of malicious destruction of property. She pleaded not guilty in Boston Municipal Court.

Prosecutors had recommended Occean be held on $5,000 bail.

Judge Mark Hart Summerville ordered Occean to undergo a 20-day evaluation with bail of $3,000 when she returns to court.

The statue, located across from the Massachusetts Statehouse, depicts the free black men who formed the regiment, which launched an 1863 attack on Fort Wagner in South Carolina.

Police said Occean stated the sculpture was an “improper depiction of history.” Several tourists were also sprayed with paint.