August 23, 2020 by Hingham Police Department
Two 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. One of the men is also being charged with tearing off a blue line flag sticker off a parked car and also posting that video.
On August 15, 2020 police received an anonymous tip about a flag pole and blue line flag that may have been stolen by two men. The tip also included two videos from social media that showed the flag and flagpole being smashed into the ground and placing in a pool repeatedly.
Another video showed one of the men tearing off a blue line sticker from the back window of a car parked at the Derby Street Shoppe’s. The owner of the car was located and they were upset that sticker had been torn off.
That same day, August 15, a Hingham resident reported her blue line flag and pole had been stolen overnight from their home. The resident said a neighbor had sent them the same video posted online of the men who stole and damaged her flag and laughing about it. Officers identified the two men in the videos and interviewed them.
One man is being charged with: 1) Larceny Under $1200 2) Defacing Property 3) Defacing Property. The second man is being charged with: 1) Larceny Under $1200 2) Defacing Property. Both are 18 years old. 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.
I’m going to assume that these two kids are not habitual troublemakers and that these crimes were rooted in ignorance. Perhaps these two should be sentenced to ride with Hingham police for a few shifts to learn more about the risks our officers are exposed to on a regular basis. Additionally, they should be introduced to Cindy Chesna and her children (if she is willing) to learn about Sgt. Michael Chesna, a true American hero who served his country both abroad and locally and died in the line of duty. Perhaps these two will have a different opinion of the police afterwards.