A flag was stolen from the Liberty Pole in Downtown Mystic over the weekend and it’s an especially egregious crime because it was flying low to honor a member of the National Guard who was recently killed in an accident, according to local officials.
Staff Sgt. Ronald Patterson Jr., 43, of Bridgeport, was killed when the military vehicle he was traveling in was involved in a crash in New York earlier this month and the flag was at half-staff in his memory.
It was stolen late on Saturday.
“It’s just senseless, and shame on whoever is doing this, “Rich Dussault, the flag captain, said.
Officials think the person behind the flag thefts is taking them to sell them and no one has been caught.
“This has happened five times totally over the last 15 to 20 years, “John Kennedy, the flag committee president, said.
When a flag was last stolen in May, a local car dealership donated a new flag, which costs about $250, but members of the flag committee do not expect donors to continue to provide flags.
So, they will be working with local police to investigate and plan to meet this week to determine what they can do to keep the flag from being stolen again.
