Man arrested after Thanksgiving Day flag thefts

Bobby Ray Pendley (Credit: Hall County Sheriff’s Office)

Bobby Ray Pendley (Credit: Hall County Sheriff’s Office)

A 19-year-old Hall County man has surrendered and returned American flags that were stolen from two homes on Thanksgiving, authorities said Friday.

Bobby Ray Pendley of Gainesville turned himself in at the Hall jail after investigators obtained a warrant for his arrest, sheriff’s spokesman Sgt. Stephen Wilbanks said.

Officials had been trying to identify the man since Nov. 29, when the sheriff’s office released photos of a man captured in the act on home video surveillance.

Do you know this person? Investigators would like the public's assistance in identifying the person in this photograph....

Posted by Hall County Sheriff's Office on Tuesday, November 29, 2016

The affected homes were on Summer Creek Drive in the southern part of the county.

That video surveillance was influential in identifying Pendley, Wilbanks said.

Pendley was released on bond after he was booked on two counts of misdemeanor theft by taking, Wilbanks said.