A Nebraska man was held on a felony arson charge Monday after police said he set a couple's rainbow flag on fire and ran down their street with it.
Ariann Anderson and Jess Meadows-Anderson told NBC affiliate WOWT that they were awoken early Sunday by noises outside. When they looked out their window, they said, they saw a man running down the street with what looked like a flare. Later, they realized it was a rainbow flag that once adorned the side of their Omaha home, the station reported.
Police arrested their neighbor Cameron Mayfield, 23. He is also charged with resisting arrest, according to the report, which shows he was under the influence of alcohol during the arrest and alleged vandalism. There was no immediate information on a lawyer.
"You almost feel bad for a minute. He’s a young man, and he made a hate-filled, drunken mistake that’s going to have a lasting impact on his life," Meadows-Anderson told the station. The couple has replaced the flag, and has a reason to celebrate. They were married in Iowa and are hoping to have their union legally recognized in their home state. On Monday, a federal judge in Nebraska declared the state's ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional.
— Elisha Fieldstadt