Late-night theft caught on tape
Published Dec. 1, 2006
The chancellor's residence on Francis Quadrangle has been decorated inside and out for the holidays, but the theft of an MU flag has robbed the residence of its traditional display of school spirit.
The MU Police Department is investigating the theft of the flag, which was taken from the front porch of the Chancellor's Residence.
The theft was reported to police at approximately 9:22 a.m. Monday.
Photos released by police show two white males leaving the residence.
The photos were posted to the police Web site, along with a request for assistance from anyone with information regarding the theft.
According to timestamps on the photos taken from security cameras, the flags were stolen at approximately 1:15 a.m. Sunday.
"We were definitely home then," said Anne Deaton, Chancellor Brady Deaton's wife.
Anne Deaton said she and her husband have lived in the residence since July.
The photos show the subjects approaching the house from Ninth Street and leaving with the flag in the direction of Francis Quadrangle.
The cameras monitoring the residence are not concealed, and the photos show the porch was fully illuminated by lamps mounted on the residence and on posts near where the flag was taken.
The cameras captured both subjects' faces, but because of the limited photo quality, neither individual is immediately recognizable.
Anne Deaton said Campus Facilities personnel noticed the flag was missing when they went to the house to retrieve the flags on Sunday.
Two black and gold flags bearing the MU logo are hung on either side of the front door of the Chancellor's residence during football games.
The flags are hung the day before each home football game and are taken down the day after, she said. The weekend they were stolen, the flags were hung in observance of the football game Saturday against the Kansas Jayhawks.
"No one has ever done anything that didn't honor that this is a home," Anne Deaton said. "We try to honor students and have opportunities for them to visit."
Many students come through the residence on open houses and tours, she said.
"Ever since we moved in here in July, everyone has been very respectful," Anne Deaton said. "I've felt perfectly safe, and this was a real surprise."
She said that as of yet, she had not "had a conversation" with either police or Campus Facilities regarding the incident.
Campus Facilities spokesman Phil Shocklee declined to comment on the theft.
MU police Capt. Brian Weimer said Thursday afternoon that there is no new information.