EAGLE MOUNTAIN, Utah — Surveillance video captured what appeared to be young children, possibly teenagers, approaching an Eagle Mountain home before stealing and removing Pride and transgender flags.
The Utah County Sheriff's Office shared the video, saying flags had been repeatedly stolen from the home in the area of 900 North Ox Bridge over the past few nights. The video posted showed an incident from March 24.
Video of the thefts below:
Those involved in the recent theft appear to be children.
The thefts occurred during the same week Utah Governor Spencer Cox allowed a controversial bill to become law, banning Pride flags and others from being displayed in classrooms and government buildings. Cox said he has "serious concerns" with the "divisive" bill and is urging the legislature to consider solutions to its "numerous flaws."
Cox allows controversial flag bill to go into law without signature:
“I hate to make it political, but it just kind of feels like it,” said Hailey Randall.
Randall’s home is the one targeted in the video shared by the Utah County Sheriff’s Office — and not for the first time.
“On Halloween, we had two kids run up and rip it down and run away,” Randall said. “We’ve also had a Project Rainbow ripped up.”
It’s become a persistent problem in her Spring Run neighborhood.
“We’ve had four flags taken from our house,” said Randall.
Project Rainbow tells us it’s so common that they’ve budgeted for 15% flag loss from those they give out each year.
Meanwhile, Randall and her neighbors now put them away themselves if they’re going on vacation. It’s division — sewn from what she believes to be threads of unity.
“We believe that everybody should be supported and loved for being who they are,” Randall said.
It’s a value that’s ingrained in her. A tattoo on her right arm reads "I love you," as written by her husband. It’s also a message she shares with her children, that’s unfortunately been challenged.
“Every morning, they run down to make sure the flag is still there,” said Randall. “The mornings that it’s been taken, they just don’t understand why.”
Randall’s security system hasn’t yet deterred the young suspects — whoever’s doing this comes prepared.
“They all had masks on, so you couldn’t identify who they were,” Randall said.
She says they’re not hiding their pride on this Transgender Day of Visibility.
“I just don’t want any kid or any adult to feel that everybody hates them,” said Randall.
She hopes those responsible heed the warnings of law enforcement and hear the ways that these actions can uproot their community.
“It’s not showing kindness, it’s not right… and we just would like them to stop,” Randall said.
Previous similar incidents
Last year, a 16-year-old was arrested after they were caught stealing Pride flags from outside the Logan Pride Foundation building. The crimes came after several other incidents were reported from private homes where flags were also taken.
"Let's not harm each other's communities; let's find ways that we can engage with each other," said Project Rainbow Executive Director Jacey Thornton in October.
Utah family frustrated after Pride flag thieves escalate level of vandalism:
A Draper couple's 25-foot flagpole was destroyed in 2023 after it was used to display Pride flags. The family said its Pride flag had been stolen or destroyed five times before the flagpole's destruction.
Anyone with information on the Eagle Mountain flag thefts is asked to call the Utah County Sheriff's Office.
