A Florida man is facing criminal charges after allegedly stealing an American flag and vandalizing a disabled veterans office this week, WFTV-TV reports.
On Tuesday evening, 42-year-old Jonathan Wayne Smyth was recorded by security cameras at a Disabled American Veterans (DAV) chapter in Titusville, Florida. The footage shows him cutting the strings of a flag pole and causing an American flag to fall to the ground, according to Fox News.
Smyth is later seen crumpling the flag, and he also damaged an outdoor area used by veterans at the site, including a barbecue grill.
After Commander John Dunn posted about the incident on Facebook, community members quickly identified Smyth as the alleged culprit.
“I came home quite angry last night,” Dunn said, according to Fox News. “But, after I saw the support on Facebook . . . We had his name within an hour and where he was located. It spread so fast, I couldn’t imagine, wow!”
The local DAV chapter provides resources to veterans. It operates a food pantry, provides rides for medical appointments and helps family members file claims with the Veterans Administration.
Local residents also donated a new grill for the DAV chapter to use.
“These people presented DAV 109 with a brand new Pit Boss pellet grill to replace the grill that got destroyed last Tuesday. Along with that, we have two more couples donating grills to the chapter,” Dunn wrote in a Facebook post. “We would like to thank everyone who has been showing support for the chapter, along with donations.”
Police on Friday located Smyth and arrested him. He faces charges of burglary, criminal mischief and petit theft, and is being held in the Brevard County Jail without bond, according to the Titusville Police Department.
Titusville is on the eastern side of Florida near the John F. Kennedy Space Center.
[Feature Photo: Facebook]
