Police are searching for three young people after a Pride flag was stolen from outside of a home in Aylmer.
A resident called police just after 11 p.m. on Friday to report the incident. The resident told police that three male youths had showed up to the home, took the Pride flag that was flying down and left in a blue pickup truck.
The truck, which has 1500 or 5100 as part of its licence plate, was last seen headed east on Highway 3, Aylmer police said.
No description of the three young people involved has been released.
Officers are actively investigating the theft, police said on Monday. Anyone with information is asked to call police at 519-773-3146 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
The incident is the latest in a long line of Pride flag thefts that have been occurring for over a year in small southwestern Ontario towns. At the start of 2022, a Pride flag and its pole were snatched from the front yard of an Aylmer home. Another three of the bright, rainbow flags were taken from a property in the town last June. In nearby Tillsonburg, Pride flags were stolen and vandalized at a local business in the summer. The vandals in this incident also left threatening messages to the business owner. In Norwich, Pride flags hung throughout the town and at residences were repeatedly stolen throughout the summer months.
