Treatment of Flag Creates Controversy in Lake Hamilton

Published: Friday, August 8, 2014 at 10:56 p.m. Last Modified: Friday, August 8, 2014 at 10:56 p.m.

LAKE HAMILTON | When Phillip Miller walked into the Lake Hamilton public works barn and saw his supervisor lying on an American flag spread across the grease-stained concrete floor, he was shocked.

Public Works Director J.D. Johnson on Friday acknowledged using an American flag as a drop cloth while working on a lawn mower in the barn on July 31.

Miller and a co-worker had taken down the 5-foot-by 8-foot flag from the Town Hall flagpole about a month ago because of its fading and frayed edges. Because Town Hall was closed at the time, they left it in the public works break room. Miller said the flag disappeared after that.

He said the next time he saw it was when Johnson had it on the floor.

"I was so appalled, I was speechless," Miller said. "I could not believe anybody would do that."

Miller didn't say anything to Johnson at the time, but he used his town-issued cellphone to take a photo of the flag on the ground after Johnson had walked away. He brought the photo to Mayor Marlene Wagner the next day.

While the mayor said she is not happy about the situation, no decisions have been made regarding disciplinary action.

The incident was not brought up during the Town Council meeting this week.

Johnson, a U.S. military veteran, said the flag had been in the barn for a while, on the floor and draped over tractors, before he ever touched it.

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Treatment of Flag Creates Controversy in Lake Hamilton