Two US troops have been detained and accused of theft and "bias" after they were seen regularly removing LGBTQ pride flags from outside the Virginia home of a lesbian couple. As he took off with his rainbow-colored prize, one of the supposedly racist robbers was sporting a cowboy hat.
Between September of last year and January of this year, Arlington County police received complaints of several thefts from the women's home. "A male suspect approached the home during the early morning hours and took a Pride flag from outside the dwelling before departing the scene," the Arlington County Police Department said in a statement last week, describing each incident.
The US Army made two arrests on Friday at adjacent Fort Myer. Expert Matthew Henshaw faced charges of three Petit Larceny crimes and three counts of "bias-motivated" unauthorized entry for three of the thefts, whereas Private First Class Joseph Digregorio faced charges of only one Petit Larceny offense for a single theft.
A "bias-motivated" illegal entrance is defined by Virginia law as when someone purposefully targets a property based on the owner's ethnicity, gender, or sexual orientation. Henshaw may spend up to 12 months in jail and/or pay a $2,500 fine on each count if found guilty. The punishment for Petit Larceny is the same for each count.
Flag-stealing victim Michelle Logan told Military.com that she resides at the home with her girlfriend. She said that her Ring security camera had recorded three occurrences, one of which had a suspect donning a cowboy hat.
Members of The Old Guard, or 3rd Infantry Regiment, are what these two soldiers are. The Army's top ceremonial troop, the 3rd Infantry Regiment, conducts funerals at Arlington National Cemetery.
An army spokesperson informed Military.com in a statement, "As this remains an open investigation, it would be too early to speculate on what ramifications the troops could face." The spokesperson went on, "We cherish diversity and equality, and the acts of individuals implicated do not reflect The Old Guard or our Army's ideals and character."
The Pentagon's "diversity" policy has infuriated a lot of people within. Republicans have blamed the military's continuous recruiting crisis on efforts to eliminate gendered language and teach "critical race theory," while lawmakers in states with Republican-controlled legislatures denounced the Department of Veterans Affairs for allowing pride flags to fly at its hospitals and cemeteries last year.
Between September of last year and January of this year, Arlington County police received complaints of several thefts from the women's home. "A male suspect approached the home during the early morning hours and took a Pride flag from outside the dwelling before departing the scene," the Arlington County Police Department said in a statement last week, describing each incident.
The US Army made two arrests on Friday at adjacent Fort Myer. Expert Matthew Henshaw faced charges of three Petit Larceny crimes and three counts of "bias-motivated" unauthorized entry for three of the thefts, whereas Private First Class Joseph Digregorio faced charges of only one Petit Larceny offense for a single theft.
A "bias-motivated" illegal entrance is defined by Virginia law as when someone purposefully targets a property based on the owner's ethnicity, gender, or sexual orientation. Henshaw may spend up to 12 months in jail and/or pay a $2,500 fine on each count if found guilty. The punishment for Petit Larceny is the same for each count.
Flag-stealing victim Michelle Logan told Military.com that she resides at the home with her girlfriend. She said that her Ring security camera had recorded three occurrences, one of which had a suspect donning a cowboy hat.
Members of The Old Guard, or 3rd Infantry Regiment, are what these two soldiers are. The Army's top ceremonial troop, the 3rd Infantry Regiment, conducts funerals at Arlington National Cemetery.
An army spokesperson informed Military.com in a statement, "As this remains an open investigation, it would be too early to speculate on what ramifications the troops could face." The spokesperson went on, "We cherish diversity and equality, and the acts of individuals implicated do not reflect The Old Guard or our Army's ideals and character."
The Pentagon's "diversity" policy has infuriated a lot of people within. Republicans have blamed the military's continuous recruiting crisis on efforts to eliminate gendered language and teach "critical race theory," while lawmakers in states with Republican-controlled legislatures denounced the Department of Veterans Affairs for allowing pride flags to fly at its hospitals and cemeteries last year.
