Two 18-year-olds charged with stealing, defacing blue line flag

HINGHAM, Mass. — Two 18-year-old Hingham men are being charged with stealing and defacing a blue line flag from a home and posting a video of it on social media, according to Hingham Police.

On Aug. 15, police received an anonymous tip that a flag pole and blue line flag might have been stolen by two men. The tip also included two videos from social media showing the flag and flag pole being smashed into the ground, police said in a release on Sunday.

Another video showed one 18-year-old tearing off a blue line sticker from the back window of a car parked at the nearby Derby Street Shops. The owner of the car was found and upset that their sticker had been torn off, according to Hingham Police.

Also on Aug. 15, a Hingham resident reported that her blue line flag and flag pole had been stolen from her home overnight. The resident said a neighbor sent them the same video posted online of the two men who stole and damaged her flag and laughed about it.

Officers identified the two men in the videos and interviewed them, according to the release.

One 18-year-old is being charged with larceny under $1,200 and two charges of defacing property. The second 18-year-old is being charged with larceny under $1,200 and defacing property.

Hingham Police said their names are not being released because they were not arrested. They will appear at a hearing on the charges at Hingham District Court at a future date.

Cox Media Group