HOUGHTON — After a nearly two-week long investigation, a suspect in the theft of hundreds of flags, part of a 9/11 memorial, appeared in court this week.

Avery Brynn Lawrence, 21, was arraigned Wednesday in 97th District Court for the 9/11 memorial vandalism of the flag display on the Walker Lawn at Michigan Technological University. She is facing a misdemeanor charge of malicious destruction of tombs and monuments, which can result up to a year in jail and a fine up to $2,000.

On the morning of Sept. 11 the student group Young Americans for Freedom (YAF) set up the annual memorial consisting of 2,977 small American flags, each representing a life lost to the terror attacks on September 11, 2001. Members of YAF got up at 4 a.m. to place the flags on the lawn and finished around 6:30 a.m.

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