Ringgold police ask for help finding veterans flagpoles that were taken

by Mason Edwards, Chattanooga Times Free Press

A volunteer-led veteran memorial project in Catoosa County is requesting the return of a batch of flagpoles that were taken— and police are asking for the public's help identifying the person responsible.

"It's just disappointing ... very disheartening," said Mike Schlote, a Marine Corps veteran who helps coordinate the Ringgold Veterans Flags program. "I've got no desire to punish this individual. I just want our property back."

The theft occurred June 2 as volunteers removed flags following Memorial Day, according to Schlote. The poles were staged in piles along the roadside for collection.

Surveillance images and video show a man loading at least six poles — valued at roughly $250 total — into a white pickup truck, Schlote said.

"The picture shows him with four in his truck and two in his hand," he said in a phone interview. "If he finished that pile, he may have walked away with a dozen."

On Tuesday, the Ringgold Police Department posted a public appeal on social media, urging anyone with information to call the detective working on the case at 706-935-3066.

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Ringgold Police Chief Dan King said in a phone interview that a few leads are being followed, but he's not sure whether the man who took the poles intended to steal them or mistook them for discarded or abandoned material.

The Catoosa County Veterans Memorial Flag Project places thousands of flags and white crosses along major corridors of Ringgold and Catoosa County each Memorial Day and Veterans Day. Schlote, working off his memory alone, said this year's display featured 2,130 flags.

"As a veteran myself, it lets me know that my efforts are remembered," Schlote said. "There are people who come to Ringgold just to see the cross of a relative. Some come every year."

Families of deceased veterans can sponsor a flag and cross for a one-time $80 donation, which barely covers costs, Schlote said. The flags themselves are purchased at a federal discount, but poles and hardware cost about $60 each. Ongoing maintenance and replacement come out of donations.

(READ MORE: Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene on Ringgold Festival of Flags: 'So proud of people here and their patriotism')

"We have no budget, no income other than the charity of the people of Catoosa County and surrounding areas," Schlote said.

The project has even inspired similar flag displays in Dalton, Trenton and other communities, Schlote said.

On the day of the theft, the flags had already been removed from the poles. The final step — picking up the poles themselves — was underway.

"The poles were laid down in piles," Schlote said. "Bring 'em back — just bring 'em back. You can put them back in a pile where you got them. The city will see them and call us, and we'll come and get them."