30 American flags stolen from Washington Co. neighborhood
By Mia Villanueva
Click here for updates on this story
WASHINGTON COUNTY, Oregon (KPTV) — Just two days before the Fourth of July someone stole dozens of American flags from a Washington County neighborhood.
It’s a tradition that goes back nearly 15 years in this neighborhood. Residents line the street with dozens of American flags for the Fourth of July. But on Saturday morning, Jeff Smith woke up to a shock.
“I left for Portland Golf Club this morning at 4:15,” he said. “I came out here and went ‘Uh oh… gone.’”
About 30 flags in all, belonging to Smith and his neighbors, stolen sometime during the night. Full-size flags, small flags, even a flag for the U.S. Marines, all taken.
Smith said he takes the crime personally.
“I would consider myself more than the average patriot guy,” he said. “It matters to me. The country matters, the people that defend the country matter. I think when somebody steals an American flag, they’re doing more than they know.”
Smith said there’s surveillance video of the thieves and the Washington County Sheriff’s Office is investigating. WCSO said at least three people want to press charges.
In the meantime, Smith has extra flags.
“What I’m going to do now is replace every flag that was taken with (extra flags),” he said. “The street will look like it did before. Even better, actually.”
Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.
