Have the thief run a gauntlet.
Via WFLA:
The flag of the United States and seven others are flying high at the VFW post in Clearwater.
But that wasn’t the case recently after a thief made off with all of them.
It happened at the VFW post 2473 in Clearwater.
“It’s the first time it’s ever happened here. We’ve had these flags for probably 20, 30 years here,” said VFW Commander Mike Corrigan.
In the early morning of Feb. 12, security cameras captured, who Pinellas deputies identified as 41-year-old Thomas Travis, a homeless man, sneaking around the facility, taking cigarette butts out of ash trays, and later making off with the flags, including out of a flag recycle drop-off bin.
“We went and looked at the video and sure enough, we watched actually the video and saw him,” said Corrigan.
The thief cut the ropes, lowered the flags, and took the brass fittings used to secure them.
“His attire was, he had a dress, and made a necklace out of ’em, so like I said, thought that’s why he took it, just to cash in on the brass but he actually used it as a necklace,” said Corrigan.
That ended up being Thomas’ un-doing. A Clearwater police officer met up with him two nights later.
Unaware of the flag heist, the officer he took pictures of him with the flags and the unusual necklace.
Later, Pinellas deputies connected the dots and made the arrest.