Ohio Church Offers Reward After Pride Flag Destroyed in Apparent Arson
Crestline, OH – A rural Ohio church is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the arson of a Pride flag on New Year’s Day. The incident occurred behind Holy Redeemer Independent Old Catholic Church in Crestline, a village near Mansfield in Central Ohio.
Details of the Incident
According to a police report obtained by The Buckeye Flame, officers responded to a call about an object on fire at the church around 6:30 p.m. On January 1st. Upon arrival, they discovered a charred Pride flag and a broken Ole Smoky Tennessee Whiskey bottle in an alley east of the church. The bottle was determined to have been used as a Molotov cocktail to ignite the flag. The rope securing the flag to the flagpole had been cut, and footprints in the snow indicated the perpetrator(s) approached from the north, moved south, and then back north.
Despite canvassing the area and speaking with nearby business owners and residents, police were unable to identify any suspects. Nearby security cameras did not capture any relevant footage. The Crestline Police Department has stated the case is effectively closed due to a lack of further evidence.
Church Offers Reward, Calls Incident a Hate Crime
The Rev. Anthony Capretta, pastor of Holy Redeemer Independent Old Catholic Church, announced the $5,000 reward in a press release on Monday. Capretta described the incident as “a hate crime directed at the LGBTQ+ community and reminiscent of the Ku Klux Klan cross burnings.”
While Ohio Revised Code does not currently classify the vandalism of a Pride flag as a hate crime, perpetrators could face charges of vandalism, theft, arson, or property damage, and potentially ethnic intimidation.
Rising Anti-LGBTQ+ Incidents in Ohio
The incident at Holy Redeemer Independent Old Catholic Church comes amid a reported increase in anti-LGBTQ+ incidents in Ohio. According to GLAAD’s ALERT Desk, Ohio recorded 50 anti-LGBTQ+ incidents in 2025, the fourth-highest total in the nation, behind California, New Hampshire, and Texas. These incidents included three arson attempts, two threats of mass shootings targeting LGBTQ+ individuals, and the distribution of propaganda by white supremacist groups such as Patriot Front and White Lives Matter.
Call for Information
Anyone with information regarding the arson is urged to contact the Crestline Police Department at 419-683-2222 or the Federal Bureau of Investigation at 216-522-1400.
The Rev. Ben Huelskamp, executive director of LGBTQ+ affirming Christian advocacy group LOVEBoldy, praised churches that display Pride flags, stating they “not only communicate their own values of affirmation and inclusion, but signal to their community that religion can create safe spaces for LGBTQ+ people.”