Jeffrey Austin Frye, 28, of Lexington Park
Jeffrey Austin Frye, 28, of Lexington Park, is facing a number of criminal charges in St. Mary’s County stemming from multiple incidents involving theft, assault, burglary, and violation of a protective order, according to court documents filed in four separate criminal cases.
Frye was arrested on June 15, 2025, by the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office after officers responded to a disturbance on Washington Street in Leonardtown Square.
According to Deputy Tasciotti, Frye was observed wearing a St. Mary’s County flag around his neck while bystanders pointed him out as the person responsible for removing flags without authorization.
Witnesses stated that Frye had been taking flags down from flagpoles without permission and ignored multiple requests to stop.
A witness told authorities that Frye directed racial slurs at a black male. That male and his girlfriend followed Frye in an attempt to recover the stolen flags.
The situation escalated near the Leonardtown post office, where Frye allegedly confronted the female, placing a finger near her face. When she pushed his hand away, Frye reportedly moved aggressively toward her, prompting the male to intervene physically. A fight ensued, with multiple witnesses identifying Frye as the aggressor.
Frye was read his Miranda rights and spoke with deputies. He admitted to removing three U.S. flags, two St. Mary’s County flags, and one POW flag from various locations between June 13 and June 15, 2025.
He also confirmed his involvement in the altercation. The total value of the stolen flags was estimated at $240.
He was charged with one count of theft scheme between $100 and $1,500, six counts of theft under $100, two counts of second-degree assault, and one count of disorderly conduct.
In a separate incident just two days earlier, Frye was accused of stealing government flags from the area near the Potomac Building at 23115 Leonard Hall Drive in Leonardtown.
According to a statement by Deputy Jason Smith, Frye admitted to a county employee that he had taken the flags and placed them in a recycling receptacle. The employee, familiar with Frye from a prior burglary investigation, captured a photo of him at the scene and advised Frye to leave. The employee later found a flag flying upside-down on the flagpole, a traditional signal of distress.
Frye allegedly told the employee he removed the flags because they were faded and not properly illuminated. He was charged with one count of theft valued between $100 and $1,500.
On June 4, 2025, Frye was taken into custody at Leonard Hall Academy following a report of an unauthorized individual inside the building. A county employee discovered Frye asleep in the principal’s office. Frye reportedly admitted to entering through a window he manipulated to gain entry, stating he was seeking shelter. No property was damaged during the entry.
Frye was charged with fourth-degree burglary of a storehouse under Maryland law.
In a closed case from earlier in the year, Frye was found guilty of violating a protective order. According to the statement from Deputy Ian Flaherty, Frye refused to leave a residence in Mechanicsville after being served an interim protective order prohibiting contact with the petitioner and requiring him to vacate the home. Frye allegedly yelled at the petitioner and used racial slurs, despite being informed that he had no legal right to remain on the property.
He pleaded guilty to one count of violating the protective order and was sentenced on May 1, 2025, to 90 days in jail, with all but 34 days suspended. He was placed on one year of unsupervised probation.
