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UI athlete charged with felony over menorah damage

URBANA — A University of Illinois softball player accused of vandalizing a religious symbol on campus was charged Tuesday with a felony.

Ruby Fernandez-Rivera, 21, who listed an address on Daniel Street in Champaign, was arraigned on a single count of criminal damage to property for allegedly breaking a piece off the menorah at the Chabad Center for Jewish Life on Feb. 7.

According to a UI police report, Fernandez-Rivera and another student were captured on video approaching the menorah outside the center, 509 S. Fourth St., about 1:15 a.m. that Sunday.

She reportedly reached up to unscrew light bulbs on the menorah and in the process, the piece fell to the ground.