Naval Academy graduate charged with hate crime after ripping down pride flag from Annapolis store
ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY -- A Naval Academy graduate is facing hate crime charges after Annapolis City police said he ripped a pride flag from a store and threw it in the trash.
On November 15, the co-owner of Dapper Dog Tattoo Shop on Maryland Avenue called police to report destruction of property to a flagpole at the store, according to a police report.
The co-owner told police that he arrived at the store around 10:30 a.m. and noticed a rainbow pride flag had been ripped down from a pole and put into a trash can.
According to the report, the caller said this was the third time someone "intentionally removed the flag from its post without permission."
The store's co-owner told police that he installed a security camera outside the business due to the prior incidents.
The store posted a video from the security camera to its social media accounts showing a man in front of the business around 1 a.m. In the video, the man can be seen ripping the pride flag from the pole.
According to the report, a tip from an employee who worked at a nearby restaurant helped police identify the suspect as Benjamin Michael of Dallas, Texas. Officers said Michael is a Naval Academy graduate and served in the Marine Corps. He was in the area on November 15 for a football game happening the next day, according to the police report.
Michael was charged with a hate crime and destruction of property, the police report shows.
