Naval Academy grad granted probation after tearing down pride flag in Annapolis

Megan Loock, Capital Gazette on Apr 30, 2025

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ANNAPOLIS, Md. — A Naval Academy graduate accused of ripping down a pride flag from an Annapolis tattoo shop was given probation before judgment following a Monday afternoon bench trial.

Benjamin Michael, 44, was given probation before judgment, meaning he can avoid further penalties if he meets the terms of his one year of unsupervised probation. He was facing four misdemeanor charges, including two counts for a hate crime, according to court records. One of the hate crime counts was dropped, according to court records.

“Benjamin Michael pleaded not guilty, but was found guilty of counts 1, 2, and 3,” said Heather Stone, spokesperson for the Anne Arundel County state’s attorney in an email.

Michael graduated from the academy in 2004 and served in the Marines from 2004 to 2013, according to the Marine Corps, ending his career as a captain at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. The academy did not return a request for comment.

Initially, the state opposed a probation before judgment outcome, according to Stone. However, Anne Arundel Circuit Court Judge Thomas Pryal granted probation before judgment because Michael had no prior criminal record, she said in an email. Instead, he must complete 80 hours of community service in six months. In addition, he must attend three self-help group meetings per week for 52 weeks and “totally abstain from alcohol and drugs,” according to court records.

The Dapper Dog, a tattoo shop on Maryland Avenue, posted a photo from its security camera footage on social media on Nov. 15 showing Michael in front of the shop pulling down the flag and throwing it in a trash can. A day later, a woman who worked at a nearby restaurant contacted authorities and said she had served the man in the video the night before. She told police Michael was in the area for “an event related to the Naval Academy football game” against Tulane Green Wave. Detectives said Michael came from Dallas to watch the game.

The rainbow flag with the words “ABIDE NO HATRED” had hung from the shop since 2021. The flag had been torn down twice before the two owners, Charlie Garrett and Chris Ingles, decided to install security cameras.

The Capital Gazette obtained security camera footage showing Michael walking past the store on Nov. 15. Reaching up, he palmed the base of the flag and slashed it downward, taking the pole and splintering its mount. Co-owner Garrett found the flag in the shop’s trash can the following morning.

Caroline Frost, Michael’s attorney, declined a request for comment.

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