Monday, April 4, 2011

Flag burned at disabled poet Mattie Stepanek Memorial Park in Maryland

From NBC Washington:

A flag was set on fire at a popular memorial in Rockville, Md., and Montgomery County fire investigators are looking for the culprit.

Mattie Stepanek, an ambassador for the Muscular Dystrophy Association, wrote several books of poetry and was an advocate for people with disabilities and children with life-threatening conditions, appearing on several television programs, including "Oprah." He died at 14 years old.

A memorial park in the King Farm neighborhood bears his name.

Saturday morning, someone lit a large American flag on fire in the parking lot next to the memorial, authorities said.