(Tribune News Service) — A Naval Academy graduate was charged with a hate crime after a tattoo shop in Annapolis reported its LGBTQ Pride flag had been ripped off its post and thrown in the trash, according to the Annapolis Police Department.
A summons has been issued for Benjamin Michael to appear in court, court records show, but as of Monday morning, it had not been served. The court date has not yet been determined, according to the Maryland Judiciary.
In charging documents, police wrote that Michael, 44, is a Dallas resident who served in the U.S. Marine Corps and graduated from the academy.
Attempts to contact Michael on a phone number listed in public records were unsuccessful.
According to charging documents, an Annapolis Police corporal was contacted Friday morning by the co-owner of the Dapper Dog Tattoo Shop on Maryland Avenue and was told a rainbow Pride flag outside the store had been vandalized.
Police were informed this was the third time someone had removed the flag, which has the words “ABIDE NO HATRED” on it, from its post. As such, the co-owner said he had installed a security camera to monitor the area.
Closed-circuit video footage showed a man in a black puffer-style vest walking toward the store at approximately 1 a.m. Friday, police said, before he “forcefully ripped” the flag from its post above the shop’s awning. According to charging documents, the man was then seen “placing” it into a red trash can nearby.
The tattoo shop posted a photo of the man from its security camera on social media and asked the “Dapper Dog Family” for help identifying the suspect. In return, the store offered anyone with information a free tattoo from an artist of their choosing.
According to charging documents, a woman who worked at a nearby restaurant contacted authorities Saturday morning and told the corporal she had served the man in the video the night before. She told police Michael was in the area for “an event related to the Naval Academy football game” against the Tulane Green Wave.
Navy lost 35-0.
After providing police with Michael’s name and credit card receipt, the woman said she had “immediately” recognized him from the Dapper Dan post, police said.
Michael was also charged with malicious destruction of property. Both it and the hate crime charge, which in this case relates to property crimes, are misdemeanors.
Dapper Dog’s co-owner was not immediately available for comment, though the shop has acknowledged an email sent by the Capital Gazette.
The Marine Corps’ Communication Directorate was not immediately available for comment. An email asking for specifics on Michael’s military status, service and possible discharge was not immediately answered.
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(Monica Roybal/U.S. Air Force)
