The gay owners of a Rehoboth Beach guest house and the LGBTQ group CAMP Rehoboth have praised the Rehoboth Beach Police Department for quickly arresting a male suspect one day after he allegedly removed an LGBTQ rainbow Pride flag hanging from the porch of the guest house and stepping on it before burying it in snow.

But in a joint statement released Feb. 4, the Rehoboth Guest House and David Mariner, executive director of CAMP Rehoboth, expressed concern that Rehoboth police did not classify the Feb. 1 rainbow flag incident as a hate crime.

“While the quick action of the police is greatly appreciated, we respectfully disagree with their decision not to classify this activity as a hate crime or hate bias incident,” the statement says.

A Rehoboth police spokesperson could not immediately be reached for comment. The Blade will update this story if Rehoboth police provide an explanation for why they chose not to classify the incident as a hate or bias related incident.

The joint statement by the guest house, which bills itself as an LGBTQ-friendly bed and breakfast, and CAMP Rehoboth does not mention something that some LGBTQ activists may find surprising – that a Feb. 3 Rehoboth police press release announcing the arrest in connection with the flag incident does not identify the flag as a rainbow Pride flag or that it was removed from a gay guest house.

“Jordan Reed, 23, of Rehoboth, Del., was arrested Wednesday afternoon [Feb. 2] following an investigation by police into two separate incidents of trespassing and criminal mischief,” the police press release says.

“On Tuesday, February 1st, 2022, at around 2:30 pm, Rehoboth Beach Police were called to the second block of Maryland Avenue for a disorderly subject who entered onto a residential property, removed a flag from the front porch and buried it in the snow,” the release continues.

“While on the scene at the residence, at around 3:15 pm, the responding officer was contacted by a separate victim who reported that the tire to his trailer had been slashed,” the release says, adding that the trailer was parked on the same block as the “residential property.”

The police press release says that through “investigative means, witness interviews, and the use of various sources of video surveillance, police were able to develop Reed as a suspect.” It says police observed Reed the following day walking on Rehoboth Avenue near the Rehoboth traffic circle and took him into custody without incident.    

The release concludes by saying Reed was arrested and charged with one count of criminal mischief of under $1,000; one count of third-degree criminal trespass; and one count of disorderly conduct. It says he was released on $1,500 unsecured bail.

In their own joint statement released to the press, the Rehoboth Guest House and CAMP Rehoboth provide details they say can be seen in some of the surveillance video that captured Reed’s actions that the police did not publicly disclose.

The events associated with Reed’s action “included the desecration of a Pride Flag hanging outside the Rehoboth Guest House, a LGBT owned and operated business and a popular destination for the LGBTQ community,” the statement says.

“In video supplied to the police, Jordan Reed removes the flag, steps on the flag, and buries the flag in snow,” the statement continues. “In the high-resolution version of the video, you can also see Reed spit on his hands and rub the spit into the flag before he buries it,” the statement says.

“Accordingly, we have forwarded this information to the Delaware Division of Civil Rights,” the statement adds. “Individuals who experience hate crimes or hate bias incidents should always call their local police first but can also report these incidents to the Delaware Division of Civil rights” by phone, email or an online complaint form, the statement says.

“The LGBT community, and CAMP Rehoboth specifically, have a longstanding positive relationship with the Rehoboth Beach Police Department,” the statement concludes. “We look forward to continuing those relationships and working together whenever possible.”

The Blade also couldn’t immediately determine whether prosecutors that oversee cases like this in the Sussex County courts in nearby Georgetown, Del., might consider exercising their authority to upgrade the charge against Jordan Reed to include a hate bias designation.

The Delaware state hate crimes law includes coverage for victims targeted for a crime based on their sexual orientation and gender identity.