PLAINS TOWNSHIP -- A story about a stolen flag we aired Tuesday is already getting results.
A veteran told us someone yanked his American flag and flagpole from his lawn.
On Wednesday, the flag and flagpole were returned, but not by the thief.
Gene Lazarus lives in Plains Township where someone stole his American flag and pole. He says a man was walking his dog along some woods just around the corner stumbled upon the flag and flagpole. That walker had also watched our story and knew exactly who it belonged to.
"And he brought it back. He said, 'I just found this, I was walking my dog, and it was laying.' So someone stole it and put it in the woods," said Lazarus.
Lazarus, a veteran, has mixed emotions after his stolen American and flagpole were returned. He's happy to get it back, but the flag is wet and dirty and now he'll have to get rid of it.
"I don't want to say what I'm really thinking because it'll be bleeped!"
What he is overjoyed about, though, is the kind act from three other strangers. Meadow Run Lawns and Landscaping near Bear Creek heard Gene's flag went missing after Gene's daughter posted about it on Facebook. So the company stepped in, bought him a new flag and flagpole, and made sure to secure the new pole with concrete, so next time, the flag pole just can't up and disappear.
"There's real fine, fine business people who thought about me, who said, 'We appreciate the time you put into the service.' I said, 'I'd do it again.'"
Gene says the three men who installed this flagpole did not want any credit for it. They said the focus should be on Gene, and he could not be more grateful.
"Tears of thankfulness, tears of joy, tears of knowing there are kind people out there," he said.
Meanwhile, Gene isn't giving any more thought to whoever stole his flag and flagpole.
"Their day will come. Every dog has his day. And it'll come to them. "