PORT LUDLOW — Thirteen of East Jefferson Rotary Club’s American flags that were stolen just before Veterans Day have been returned.
“We’re glad they’ve been returned, but this didn’t need to happen,” club President Ned Luce said.
The flags were returned last week by an anonymous Port Townsend man who had contacted Luce just after the theft saying he had an idea who had stolen them.
According to Luce, the man followed his own investigative trail after learning a couple of flags had been given to one of his children following Veterans Day.
This led to the discovery of all 13 stolen flags, and the man returned the flags to Luce’s home Friday.
Law enforcement was not involved in the recovery and will not be contacted to find the culprits, who were not identified, Luce said.
The newly purchased flags were taken from an area near the Inn at Port Ludlow and had a replacement cost of $455, a loss that could have jeopardized the awarding of scholarships for next year’s high school graduates, Luce said.
The Peninsula Daily News published a story on the theft in its Nov. 23 edition, quoting Chimacum High School Principal Whitney Meissner.
Luce wrote about the theft as part of his
Nov. 19 column in the Port Townsend & Jefferson County Leader.
KING-TV also reported the story.
On Nov. 24, $455 in cash was delivered by an anonymous PDN reader to Chimacum High to cover the cost of replacing the flags.
The envelope of cash simply had Meissner’s name on the front and a copy of the PDN story inside.
In addition to the anonymous cash, another $70 was contributed, bringing the total funds available for replacing the flags to $525.
“My intent is to recommend to our board of directors that these funds go directly into scholarships for local students unless a donor wants their funds returned,” Luce said in an email to the PDN.
“One of the donations was in anonymous cash, so ascertaining who might have been that donor could be difficult.”
Luce said the money collected may not cover a complete scholarship, as the awards range from $400 to $2,000.
He said the returned flags appeared to be in good shape, but he hasn’t yet unrolled all of them.
Each year, the club places 225 flags in Jefferson County in front of businesses, schools and cemeteries during five holiday weekends each year: Memorial Day, Flag Day, Fourth of July, Memorial Day and Veterans Day.
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Jefferson County Editor Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or cbermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
