OCEAN CITY – A local woman was arrested for disturbing the peace and burning an American flag early last Sunday morning, long after the embers of the last Fourth of July fireworks had smoldered and died.
Shortly after 6 a.m. last Sunday, two Ocean City police officers who had finished their Fourth of July shifts and were heading home observed a woman, later identified as Rebecca Ellen McKimmie, 18, of Ocean City, igniting an American flag with a cigarette lighter. As the officers approached, they observed McKimmie standing between two lanes of traffic leading to the Route 50 Bridge while continuing to light the flag until it was actively burning.
According to police reports, McKimmie then began to stomp on the burning American flag, causing several vehicles to swerve to avoid hitting her. When the officers asked McKimmie why she was burning the American flag the day after the celebration of the nation’s independence day, she simply told them she was “making a statement,” according to police reports.
McKimmie was arrested and charged with disturbing the peace and desecrating a flag. She was taken before a District Court Commissioner and later released on her own recognizance. A tentative trial date has been set for Aug. 18.
For all the week’s news, see The Dispatch on Friday morning.