Posted on 03/04/2017 7:11:59 PM PST by nickcarraway
A Carrollton couple believes hate was the motivation for an early morning crime that targeted their home, their mailbox and their rainbow pride flag.
Police say Thursday morning just before 3:30 a.m. someone ripped the couple's gay pride flag from the side of their home on Longwood Drive, stuffed it into their mailbox at curbside and lit it on fire using several neighbors' mail as kindling.
Markus Maguire and his husband, Wilson Nash, awoke Thursday morning to find their flag missing, just a piece of the broken wooden poll still in its holder. Their next-door neighbor then discovered the remains of a fire in their open mailbox.
Carrollton police investigators discovered several pieces of burned mail inside, along with the flag, balled up and charred in the very back.
The flag sustained only a few burns because the perpetrators actually closed the mailbox after lighting the fire, and the flames quickly subsided due to lack of oxygen.
Neighbors with surveillance cameras discovered video that captured what looks like a light-colored van pulling up to the house, a person pulling the flag down and then the vehicle leaving briefly before returning a few minutes later so someone could set the fire.
Other residents in the area believe they captured the same van, which they don't recognize, making multiple passes through their streets over about a 30-minute period.
Maguire and Nash, who have lived in the area for about two years, say they believe the crime was a clear act of hate.
"It was actually a target at us," Maguire said. "It was absolute hate, and they meant to do it."
Carrollton police representative Jolene DeVito said Friday that the department is looking for other neighbors in the area who may have caught better images of the crime and the person responsible.
DeVito said that with all of the factors in the investigation, including arson and the involvement of the U.S. mail, the crime could potentially qualify as a hate crime, a federal offense – though detectives are still early in their investigation at this point.
Maguire and Nash said the outpouring of support from their neighbors has been the one positive to come out of the situation, with people actively helping them search for evidence and some even hanging rainbow flags in front of their own homes in solidarity.
Maguire said they personally wasted no time getting their pride flying again, by going straight from filing the police report Thursday to purchase a new flag.
"We found out at about 8 o'clock, and by 12 had a new one up," he said.
"And if they try to take it down again we'll put another one up," Nash said.
Carrollton police ask anyone with information in the investigation to contact them right away at 972-466-3333.
I no longer care one way or the other. It is probably a hoax, but if not, good. The left has no tolerance so why should I?
Go back to your closets.
No body has ever done this to my ebola pride flag.
Of course we don't have public schools forcing kids visit our infected monkey petting zoo yet, so who knows.
....and his husband. Does not compute.
(((YAWN)))
Stupid homos. You brought this on yourselves by waving your perversity flag in everyone's faces.
Keep your private business private, and few people will care what you do in your own house.
Another hoax hate crime
Isn’t burning a flag protected speech according to Lefties? What’s the problem here?
Excellent observation.
Oops! Didn’t see that this was a response.
We will see how this shakes out soon.
Any competent police department knows with 95% certainty that these “gay” hoax crimes are committed by the alleged “victims” and will look at the fags first.
Any competent police department knows with 95% certainty that these “gay” hoax crimes are committed by the alleged “victims” and will look at the fags first.
Definitely fake. Consider the following motives:
1) These are radical activists as evidenced by the fact that they fly a “gay” flag 24/7 at their house.
2) Sodomites are still butt hurt about their predetermine dictator not making it to the whitehouse and are uncontrollably livid at Trump for deposing her.
3) Texas is considering passing a bill to return the state to sex sanity by recognizing men as men and women and women. Deviants are not happy.
4) Ken Paxton, conservative Texas AG, was recently no-billed on trumped up Federal charges of “securities fraud.” The state is soon to follow.
5) This “crime” was committed after a late Saturday night, when a large majority of fags are methed up from their bing sex/drug partying. They’re liable to do anything.
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