Serial American flag thief targets firehouses & other public buildings
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A serial flag thief working in four Nebraska counties has been captured. According to Logan County Sheriff Sean Carson deputies arrested 41-year-old Jack McPeak. The sheriff told reporter Tammy Bain with NPTelegraph.com that McPeak says he stole the flags because he didn’t like how they were being displayed.
The first report of a missing flag was early Friday at the Paxton Volunteer Fire Department. The Stapleton Volunteer Fire Department lost four flags and a flag was taken from the Ogallala Fire Department.
“It’s very disrespectful, not only to the United States but to the veterans,” he (Paxton VFD Chief Kyle Gartrell) said. “Plus, it’s disrespectful to members of the fire department.”
Flags also were taken in Stapleton, Thedford, Ogallala and Big Springs. Flags disappeared from schools, libraries, police stations, cemeteries “and the one that really torques me off,” said Keith County Sheriff Jeff Stevens, “the American Legion.”
When asked about a motive, Carson said McPeak didn’t display ill will toward the American flag itself, but rather the way it was displayed at each location. He described McPeak as “saying the flags were torn; they’re being flown after dark.”
