Stephenson was one of five residents who woke up and discovered the charred Old Glory around 7:15 a.m. Thursday.
Kettering police said they received multiple calls of burned flags on the street and, upon arriving, officers discovered the burned flags were part of the Dor-Wood Optimist Group's program.The group, which strives to develop optimism as a philosophy of life, provides the stars and stripes for approximately 800 people, said Rich Foley, spokesman for the organization.
A post on the group's Facebook page Thursday said they were, "greatly saddened by the actions of the person or people that did this."
The people who participate in the program pay the group approximately $45 a year to have flags placed on their property for patriotic holidays, including Independence Day.
Each flag costs the group $25, police said.
"They go around different areas of the city and put out what they call the 'avenue of flags.' " said Kettering police Lt. Craig Moore.
Flag burning is legal in some circumstances, according to the United States Supreme Court.In Texas v. Johnson, a case the court heard in 1989, the court ruled that flag burning constitutes a form of "symbolic speech" that is protected by the First Amendment.
According to Moore, Thursday's case does not fall under the decision issued by the court.
"What they did is illegal," Moore said. "It's an arson, because that was not their property, so they didn't have a right to burn it.
"The people that are burning it in protest, they're burning their own property, but these people did not burn their own property, so that makes it a crime," Moore said.
Kettering police urged anyone who saw suspicious activity or knows who committed the crime to call 937-296-2555.
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