South Carolina congressman steps up after flags stolen from restaurant

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Rep. Jeff Duncan, R-S.C., last weekend stepped in to help some small business owners after their American and state flags were stolen from their property, according to local reports.

The owners of Mama Penn's, an Anderson, South Carolina, restaurant known for its "real Southern cooking," noticed last Sunday that their flags were missing from their flagpoles, WSPA reported.

"Someone Stole both of our [f]lags," the restaurant, which has been in business for 50 years, said in a Monday Facebook post, offering a reward for information on the suspects.

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"We were shocked," owner Sunny Davis told the station. "Immediately just could not even believe it. That’s just not something you would ever think someone would steal."

Davis said the restaurant had been vandalized before, but its flags had never been stolen. 

The restaurant's posts about the theft quickly gained traction on social media — and the attention of a congressman.

On Tuesday, Mama Penn's posted a photo of a restored American flag with the caption, "Thank you Congressman Jeff Duncan for replacing our flag."

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Duncan's office did not immediately respond to an inquiry from Fox News, but the congressman did tweet a thank-you message to Mama Penn's on Saturday.

"Thank you to Mama Penn's Restaurant for proudly flying the U.S. Flag in honor of our military and first responders. In South Carolina, we always stand with the flag," he wrote.

Duncan, who has been serving South Carolina's Third District since 2011, told WSPA that his office read about Mama Penn's stolen flags on Facebook and reached out to tell them it wanted to help.

"We wanted to do something for Mama Penn’s, and show that it’s wrong to steal a flag of any kind. And when it’s the American flag it hits a little closer to home," he told the outlet.

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He added that "stealing is stealing, and vandalism is vandalism, and this is a form of both, and it’s wrong."

Davis called the replaced flag a "Godsend."

"We really appreciate Congressman Duncan and his office for stepping in and helping us in our time of need," she told WSPA. "We were just overwhelmed. He has been very supportive of our business over the years. Very supportive of our community. Great guy."