OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Police in Nebraska have launched a hate crime investigation after an LGBTQ+ pride flag was stolen and a second one was burned at the same home.
The crimes happened two months apart in an unincorporated area just outside Omaha. The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office said that around 9:30 p.m. on April 15, a man stole a flag hanging from a pole on the home’s front porch. Home video surveillance shows the man jumping to snatch it, then running away.
At about 2 a.m. Friday, a man walked up to the home and set fire to another pride flag hanging in the same spot, then ran away. That crime was also captured on surveillance video.
Capt. Eric Sellers of the sheriff’s department said it’s unclear if the same person was responsible for both crimes.