Man burns flag, pleads too ignorant to charge

An American Christian and 'man of God' stole an American Veteran's flags off his porch and burned them.

Thief pleads too ignorant to charge for hate, offers apology instead..

Upon returning from a short trip to the mountains, the couple discovered the tribal flags and an upside-down American flag were missing. The couple’s Ring doorbell camera captured a man in a pickup truck pulling up to their home and stopping. The man got out of his truck and walked up to the flags and stole them. On his way back to his truck with the stolen flags, he turned and hit their door with the flag poles.

With the help of a neighbor, who took down the man’s license plate number, police identified the man as Jimmy Nichols, 59, from Erie, Colo. After a short telephone interview with Nichols they charged him with two misdemeanors for theft and criminal mischief.

Montour, a Vietnam-era veteran, says those charges are not severe enough.

'man of God' steals Veteran's flags and burns them

IMPORTANT: New (old) Standards Are Being Enforced (again) For New Threads

The world is moving too fast for some people and they feel powerless on a spinning globe.

Funny how all of this could have been avoided if we weren't taught to fear each other and just had a simple conversation to clear up misunderstandings

If I were on the jury, I would lean towards a prosecution as chagrged as it seems that even though he now claims ''ignorance'' and the he did not know what those other flags represented he went ahead and burned them yet treated the American flag with respect, hence distinguishing between the two sets of flags.

a reply to: 3sixand9

The apology should buying new flags going to the house and hanging them back up. Then he should invite them to a cookout and get to know them. Just because you dont agree with someone doesnt mean you should steal and burn their property. Not a hate crime but an ignorant crime.

a reply to: 3sixand9

Burning a flag is not a crime.
It has been designated as "just a piece of cloth".

He can be charged with theft and trespassing though.

a reply to: Bluntone22

Burning a flag is not a crime.

If you decided to burn a black lives matter flag, you would probably be charged with a number of offenses. Arson and risking a catastrophe come to mind.
Can the flag be replaced?
Was it a tribal flag given to him by someone special and had sentimental value?

At least he knows what he is I guess

a reply to: butcherguy

It's irrelevant if the flag is one of a kind.
My point was that the act of burning a flag is not a crime.
Burning someone else's property is a crime and can carry a penalty both criminal and civil.

"I am a man of God." So he stole someones property.
"I didn't know what the other flags were." So he burned them.

It's hard to follow his logic.

Man burns flag, pleads too ignorant to charge

That sums up the left pretty well doesn’t it?

a reply to: 3sixand9


So, surely all the folks burning and destroying things in cities like Portland, etc., surely those people will get the same treatment? Charged with crimes like this man. I’m sure of it.

a reply to: KansasGirl

Funny how that works...

a reply to: TerryMcGuire

Kinda puts the kibosh on the ignorance claim...

a reply to: KansasGirl

Of course they should.

Now just get the folks who are supposed to be doing that, to do it. That seems to be the trick, these days...

Title is misleading... he was charged for theft and destruction of property...

So far as I know, burning a flag is protected speech. I don't like it... but I understand that it is true.

The main 2 excuses from a criminal
"I am a Christian"
" I didn't know"

Neither are valid excuses in court and all the more reason to take this idiot out of the public for a while.

a reply to: 3sixand9
He was ignorant of thou shall not steal? Not much of a man of God.