BOONE, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa man has been arrested after allegedly leaving handwritten notes saying “burn that gay flag” at four different houses.
Boone Police said the notes were left at homes that had flags or door mats supporting LGBTQ, and they were all reported within an hour of each other on Saturday.
Court documents say all four of the notes had “consistent handwriting, matching paper tear marks and marker bleed through on each page.”
Police said the 25-year-old man who was arrested Monday has been charged with four counts of trespassing to commit a hate crime and four counts of third-degree harassment.
The man’s defense attorney declined to comment on the case Tuesday, and the man remained in jail.
Resident Krystal Cox said that while she supports LGBTQ people, she had bought the rainbow doormat on her front step because she liked it.
“Having someone in broad daylight come onto your property and leave a note like that, it is rattling,” Cox said.
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Resident April Burch told the Ames Tribune she had a sign that said “We believe… love is love” but didn’t have a pride flag at the time the note was left at her home. The family decided to display one of the rainbow-colored flags after finding the note.
“It’s important to show solidarity and show support — not shy into the woodwork when people are doing mean things to others in our community,” Burch said.
