AUBURN – The state attorney general’s office said Friday it has filed a civil rights suit against two brothers who allegedly stole an 8-foot cross from the lawn in front of a church in Livermore Falls five days before Easter Sunday.

The complaint seeks a court order barring Carl Harrington, 21, of Auburn and Brian Harrington, 19, of Livermore from entering the Eaton Memorial United Methodist Church or interfering with the First Amendment rights of church members through damage or destruction of their property.

“Maine law protects people of all beliefs against intentional acts of interference with the practice of their chosen religion. The cross is a widely recognized symbol of Christian faith, and our Civil Rights Act protects the congregation’s right to display it without fear of harm to it,” Assistant Attorney General Jerry Reid said.

Reid declined to speculate on the motives behind the theft and said the civil complaint filed by his office in Androscoggin County Superior Court was in addition to any criminal charges arising from the case.

The cross was recovered in Carl Harrington’s apartment in Jay four days after it was stolen. The cross was hanging sideways, with a photo of convicted murderer Charles Manson taped to it, and was being used as a shelf for a satanic book, Police Chief Ernest Steward Jr. said.

Police broke the case after a black shroud draped across a newly erected replacement cross was taken. Rocks had been moved at the base of that cross, indicating that it too may have been a theft target.

Chad Harrington was charged with theft and four teenagers, including his brother Brian, were charged with theft of a shroud.

Steward said at the time that police planned to forward the case to the attorney general’s office for review as a possible hate crime.