The suspects ages 19 to 23 face nearly 40 charges stemming from the Oct. 26 break-in at Gardner Hill Community Church in Fox Township, Elk County, about 100 miles northeast of Pittsburgh.
State police say an anonymous tip ultimately led to the charges filed Monday against four men and a woman.
Investigators say the group was drinking and playing cards before one of the men shot a deer and loaded it into a vehicle. The group then allegedly broke into the church and dragged the carcass inside.
Charges include burglary, vandalism and unlawful killing or taking of big game. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for February.
