Arrest Made in Confederate Flag Theft Case

A 23-year-old man faces petty theft charges after Manatee County Sheriff’s deputies say they tied him to the recent theft of a Confederate flag from outside a home.

According to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, Dejerrian Murray turned himself into authorities early Tuesday morning. Murray, an email from the agency to media stated, was identified as a suspect in the July 11 case after a video of the theft appeared on social media.

The video, which was posted under the hashtag #NOFLAGGINCHALLENGE, caught the attention of the sheriff’s office after a homeowner reported his flag stolen.

“Over the past several days, a video of someone stealing a Confederate flag has circulated on social and mainstream media,” sheriff’s office spokesman Dave Bristow wrote in an email to media shortly after the July theft. “Yesterday, a Manatee County resident made a report with the sheriff’s office that his flag was taken over the weekend.”

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• Viral Confederate Flag Video Catches Deputies’ Attention

The house in the now-viral video happens to belong to the resident who reported his flag stolen, Bristow added.

The video was posted publically on Facebook by Jamari Williams. His page lists him as the CEO of “Blowin’ Bandz Entertainment,” which is a Sarasota-based rap group.

The flag theft occurred as controversy swirled around the Confederate flag following a racially charged massacre in Charleston, S.C. The June 17 shooting left nine churchgoers dead and has prompted government bodies across the country to call for the removal of Confederate flags in public places. South Carolina, in fact, has stopped flying its Confederate flags outside government buildings. The accused shooter in the Charleston case, Dylann Roof, 21, was associated with the flag courtesy of an online posting in which photos of the man posing with a Confederate flag were found.

Murray remained in the Manatee County Jail Tuesday evening.

Booking photo courtesy of the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office