2 Utah couples feel targeted after pride flag theft, vandalism

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SALT LAKE CITY — As national lawmakers prepare to pass same-sex marriage protections, two gay couples in Utah feel unsafe after crimes were committed on their properties.

Zach Hutchings and his partner said the pride flag outside their house was stolen Tuesday night.

"Came out, went to the office, noticed it was gone," Hutchings said. "Decided to check the cameras, and sure enough, someone came to borrow it."

He said he wasn't surprised by the surveillance footage.

Ring doorbell video shows someone walking up to his house in the Avenues. That person jumps up to the flag pole, misses, then jumps again. The person then rips down the entire flag pole and runs down the street with the flag in hand.

"I wasn't too bothered by it, to be honest," Hutchings said. "It's something that we've come to expect, I think. When it happens to you, you take it and move on."

Ogden couple Taylor Knuth and Sean Bishop woke up to find their progress pride flag burned to pieces on their front porch Wednesday.

"We've been together for almost 12 years now, and we've called Ogden home for most of that time, so to see that flag kind of laying there melted onto the porch, it was really disheartening that that could happen in my city, in my home," Knuth expressed.

Bishop said waking up to a piece of their property burned rattled him.

"What could've happened?" he said. "Our bedroom's just right up there. Who knows if (we) would've woken up in time to stop it if it did get out of control."

The vandalism happened the same week the U.S. Senate advanced a bill to protect same-sex and interracial marriages.

"We were thinking and talking about that as we went to bed that night," Bishop said.

Both incidents happened during the same week The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced it was backing a compromise version of the Respect for Marriage Act that would clarify that it does not affect rights of private individuals or businesses that are already enshrined in law.

Knuth and Bishop are working with police to investigate what happened at their home. They said they feel supported by many of their friends and neighbors.

"The people of Ogden really showed up for us in the last few days. I think we've had a half dozen flags dropped off or mailed to us," Knuth said.

They said recent legislation is a good first step but not enough.

"Obviously, we're still not there yet," Bishop said. "There's still work to do."

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Shelby Lofton

Shelby comes to Utah after working for three years at WKYT, the CBS affiliate in Lexington, Kentucky. There, she was the weekend anchor and reporter. During her time in the Commonwealth, Shelby covered the 2021 Western Kentucky tornadoes. She was honored to share the stories of resilience there and help pay tribute to the victims. She was struck by the generosity of the people who jumped in to help with clean up and recovery efforts. Her favorite stories to tell are ones that highlight humanity coming together and using their strengths to make a real difference. Shelby also had the privilege of covering The Kentucky Derby twice. She was named Rookie of the Year by the Kentucky Broadcasters Association in 2020. Shelby is a proud graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism. In college, she worked at KOMU-TV, the NBC affiliate in Columbia, Missouri. She was fortunate to try out a lot of jobs behind the camera, but reporting is where her heart is. Shelby was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. She grew up taking road trips up and down the west coast. She loves traveling and has visited 10 countries. When she’s not in the newsroom or out reporting in the field, Shelby enjoys catching up on documentaries, listening to podcasts, dining at different hotspots, cheering on Mizzou sports and hiking Utah’s many beautiful trails.