Fresh from jail, man swipes Albany PD flags, gets arrested

ALBANY, Ore. (AP) — Police in Albany say a 43-year-old man swiped the department's Oregon flag and a U.S. flag just after his release from jail.

Officers tell the Albany Democrat-Herald that Craig James Pitcher was charged with theft.

Department employees Friday morning noticed the flags were absent. They cued up surveillance tape and spotted a man taking the flags at 1:14 a.m.

Officers immediately identified Pitcher. Sgt. Dan Jones says he had been released five minutes earlier from Linn County Jail and the video showed him walking to the flagpole.

Police Friday morning took a report of a man shoplifting wine and arrested Pitcher.

Pitcher told police he had been forced to leave behind a bicycle during a previous arrest and the department owed him money.

Police recovered the Oregon flag.

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Information from: Albany Democrat-Herald, http://www.dhonline.com

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.