Iowa Woman Arrested After Burning American Flags While Half-Naked at 4 A.M.

A 21-year-old woman from Knoxville, Iowa, is facing multiple criminal charges after authorities say she was caught burning American flags in the early hours of the morning, while naked from the waist down. 

Officers Respond To Early Morning Incident

Police were called around 4:25 a.m. Monday to Bussey, a small town about an hour southeast of Des Moines, following a report of a nude woman lighting American flags on fire.

When officers arrived on the scene, they found Brianna Laird wearing no pants or underwear and with an American flag wrapped around her head. She was reportedly uncooperative, giving officers a false name and allegedly kicking two of them during the arrest.

Flags Belonged to the City

Investigators say the burned flags had been stolen and were confirmed to belong to the city of Bussey. Laird was found in possession of a bag containing drug paraphernalia at the time of her arrest.

According to the criminal complaint, Laird is being charged with arson, theft, assault on a peace officer, indecent exposure, providing false identification, possession of drug paraphernalia, and desecration of a flag.

Suspect Has Prior Record

Court records reveal this is not Laird’s first run-in with the law. She is currently on probation for a 2023 marijuana possession conviction and has a previous conviction for driving under the influence in 2022.

Bond Set at $4,000

Laird was booked into the Marion County Jail with a bond set at $4,000. She was arraigned Tuesday and remains in custody. It is unclear whether she has retained legal representation at this time.

Local authorities have not released further details on the condition of the flags or how Laird allegedly obtained them. The investigation is ongoing.

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