Suspect wearing cowboy hat sought in theft of Pride flag in Aylmer

Two police forces in the London area are looking for a suspect wearing a cowboy hat who stole Pride flags.

Aylmer police posted a video on its Facebook page that shows a man in his late teens or early 20s get out of the passenger side of a dark four-door car on Beech Street West in Aylmer at about 3:25 am on Sunday.

The man stole a Pride flag in front of the home and returned to the vehicle. The suspect was wearing jeans, a plaid shirt and a cowboy hat, Aylmer police said.

Anyone with information about the theft is asked to call Aylmer police at 519-773-3146 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

The suspect in the Aylmer theft is similar to the man seen in video posted Tuesday by West Region OPP that shows him pulling down a flag at a property on Stover Street in Norwich, about 40 kilometers northeast of Aylmer.

After removing the flag, the suspect who was wearing a cowboy hat, long-sleeved shirt and jeans runs down the road and gets into the passenger side of a slowly moving car.

The post didn’t say when the video was recorded.

Anyone with information about the Norwich theft is asked to contact Oxford OPP at 1-888-310-1122.

The theft in Norwich is the latest in a string of thefts of the rainbow-coloured flag – a symbol of the LGBTQ community – in the village 30 minutes south of Woodstock.

In June, thieves made off with Pride flags and signage at multiple spots in Norwich Township, a regional flashpoint for backlash to the symbol celebrating LGBTQ inclusion.

“The OPP is reminding the public that theft and vandalism are criminal acts and will not be tolerated,” police said in a statement at the time. “Any individual who engages in vandalism or theft may face a criminal charge.”

In 2022, several Pride banners and flags were stolen or vandalized in the rural township of 11,000. Oxford OPP charged a 16-year-old Norwich resident and Jake Dey, 47, with theft in the incidents. The charge against Dey was dropped in court earlier this year.

Dey went on to address the township’s council in a speech that compared the Pride symbol to something out of Nazi Germany.

A local politician who led a push to promote LGBTQ inclusion in Norwich Township quit after council colleagues gave final approval in May to a ban on most non-government flags, including Pride flags, on municipal property.