Provincial police say a charge has been laid in connection with the theft of Pride flags in Norwich.
Around 4:30 a.m. on Monday, August 7, Pride flags were torn from a home on Stover Street. It was the second time that summer that Pride flags were stolen from the home. The other incident happened in June.
After the August theft, police released surveillance video of a suspect. In the video, an individual wearing a full face helmet was seen tugging at least three flags from the property and running off with them.
On Monday, police announced that a 19-year-old man from Welland is charged with mischief. He is to appear in court in Woodstock on December 5.
The Pride flag represents and supports members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. Since June, thieves have been targeting the flags across southwestern Ontario with incidents reported in Norwich, Aylmer, St. Thomas, Listowel, Chatham-Kent, and Windsor.
Anyone with information about the repeated thefts is asked to call police at 519-773-3146 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
