MUNCIE, Ind. — A 71-year-old man is fighting the management of his apartment complex over whether he can keep a four-foot-tall lighted statue of Jesus Christ outside his patio door.

A spotlight cast a large shadow of the statue on the wall of the Colonial Crest apartment complex on the west side of Muncie near Daniel Long’s apartment.

Complex manager Mike Desloover removed the light on Friday, but left the statue in place.

Desloover said he was concerned about a potential violation of federal fair housing laws, but Long disagrees.

“I’m not promoting any church or discriminating against any church,” Long told The Star Press. “This is just my own personal thing.”

Long’s voice chokes as he talks about the statue.

“I think of him 24 hours a day,” Long said. “I want to have him with me 24 hours a day.”

Desloover, however, said the display could be an affront to the religious beliefs of other residents.

“We appreciate the diversity of our complex,” Desloover said. “I will not participate in anything that’s not open to everyone of every race, creed, color and religion. We don’t have political signs or anything religious that might be construed to violate the protected classes.”

Desloover said he sent Long two letters directing him to remove the statue and the spotlight and went to his apartment Friday to remove the lights and the statue.

Long said he pulled the electrical cords out of Desloover’s hand.

“When you go to tearing the lights off my Jesus ... you just don’t do that,” he said.

Desloover said he was also concerned because Long’s apartment overlooks a polling site.

“It’s a prominent spot in the property, and it’s a property regulated by federal law,” he said. “It’s not offensive. It sets a precedent.”