Public's Help Sought To Find Whoever Damaged Popular Sign: Police

FLANDERS, NY — Suffolk County Crime Stoppers and Southampton Town Police are seeking the public’s help to identify and locate whoever damaged a sign — and stole another — in Flanders.

The sign that was damaged had been erected last year to replace a swiped "Welcome to Flanders" sign, police said.

Southampton Town Police responded last week to a report of the damaged sign, located at the corner of Pleasure Drive and County Road 105 in Flanders.

The street sign for "Pleasure Drive" was also removed from its post; it is believed the damage and the theft of the street sign occurred within the past few days, police said.

In May of last year, an insurance company stepped up to replace the "Welcome to Flanders: Home of the Big Duck" sign that was swiped in February.

Aflac donated the new $7,000 sign. Angela Huneaul, president of FRNCA commented at the time: "When the sign was stolen in February it was devastating to the community. Who would want to steal a sign that has been in place for over 20 years?"

Aflac, she said, reached out to FRNCA immediately, offering to replace the “Welcome to Flanders” sign. "We were overwhelmed by their generosity. We are a 501c3 and rely on the support of businesses, membership, and a grant from the town. We did not know how we could or when we would be able to replace the sign," Huneal said.

FRNCA, she said, maintains the traffic circle in Riverside and the landscaping around all six "welcome" signs.

"At the end of each year, we hope we have enough to carry us into the next year. This gift from Aflac was overwhelming and accepted with open arms," she said. "They heard our story and wanted to do anything they could to bring joy to a horrible situation."

Suffolk County Crime Stoppers offers a cash reward for information that leads to an arrest. Anyone with information about the incident can contact Suffolk County Crime Stoppers to submit an anonymous tip by calling 1-800-220-TIPS, utilizing a mobile app which can be downloaded through the App Store or Google Play by searching P3 Tips, or online at www.P3Tips.com. All calls, text messages and emails will be kept confidential.