Man arrested in theft of USC basketball banners from Columbia’s Main Street, police say
A man has been accused of stealing banners hung in downtown Columbia celebrating the USC women’s basketball team’s national championship, police said.
Jamie Evans Jennings, 46, was charged after Columbia police recognized him on downtown surveillance cameras that captured the thefts, police. said. The banners have not been recovered, a spokesperson for the police department added. He was arrested at the 1700 block of Main Street.
Earlier this week, Columbia Main Street District President Matt Kennell begged residents to stop stealing the banners, which are hung from light posts on Main Street. The banners cost roughly $50 a piece to print. As of Tuesday, seven of the 45 banners hung by the district had been stolen.
“Your man or woman cave does not need these banners. They are for the players and the fans,” Kennell wrote on Twitter, asking residents to leave the banners where they are.
Jennings was charged with simple larceny and booked into the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center, police said.
This story was originally published May 17, 2024 at 1:38 PM.
