Two soldiers have been arrested for repeatedly stealing Pride flags from one home in Arlington, Virginia.
According to local NBC affiliate WRC-TV, police arrested 20-year-old Matthew Henshaw and 23-year-old Joseph Digregorio earlier this month. Both are stationed at Joint Base Fort Meyer-Henderson Hall and are members of the Army’s 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, an elite regiment known as The Old Guard. Henshaw has been charged with three counts each of bias-motivated unlawful entry and petit larceny, while Digregorio faces one count of petit larceny.
The charges stem from a series of thefts targeting a home just around the corner from Fort Myer-Henderson Hall. Since September, Pride flags displayed outside Jenna Burnett and Michelle Logan’s home have been stolen at least five times, local CBS affiliate WUSA9 reports. Each time, the couple’s Ring camera recorded the thefts. The videos, which Burnett and Logan posted to social media, show the suspects brazenly ripping the flags down in the middle of the night, in some cases clearly showing their faces.
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“We looked at the Ring camera and it was just like a male and his two friends, and he was wearing a cowboy hat, and we were like ‘Huh, that’s interesting.’ So we put up another Pride flag,” Logan told WUSA9 of the first theft.
Burnette and Logan took the repeated thefts in stride. A friend even made them a smaller flag to display with their Pride flag featuring a crudely drawn cowboy and the words “Have you seen this anti-LGBTQ+ cowboy?”
After the flags were stolen again in December, Burnett said the couple decided to donate $100 to an LGBTQ+ organization every time their flags were stolen.
“If he’s just super hateful, I don’t know,” Logan said in December, prior to the arrests. “I just think this is not the way to go about it. Everyone has different opinions and lifestyles and we’re not going around stealing people’s flags. So let us live our lives and don’t violate our property.”
Henshaw and Digregorio remain on active duty while the case is under investigation, according to a statement from Fort Myer-Henderson Hall.
“We recognize the value of diversity and equality, and the actions of those involved do not represent the values and character of The Old Guard or our Army,” the statement read.
WRC-TV initially reported that Digregorio had failed to appear at a hearing last week and was listed as a fugitive. His attorney, however, said that was due to a clerical error, which has since been corrected.
Meanwhile, neighbors have rallied around the couple whose home was targeted, with nearly a dozen other homes flying their own Pride flags in solidarity.
“It’s terrible. It’s unfortunate,” Ken Miller, one of Burnett and Logan’s neighbors, said of the crimes. “I tend to support the military, as well, but that’s just unfortunate.”
“I’m glad the police were able to capture the suspects,” Miller added.
“We feel extremely thankful to be surrounded by such supportive friends, family, neighbors, and the community who have helped us get through these past few months,” Burnett and Logan told WUSA9 in a statement. “It’s not lost on us how incredibly lucky we have it compared to a lot of other people, but hope this helps spread a bit more empathy and understanding. If you’re able to, please consider donating to an LGBTQ+ non-profit of your choice.”
