Phelps’ daughter arrested for son’s actions
Omaha, Neb. ? A member of the Kansas church that protests at soldier funerals across the nation was arrested Tuesday after her son stomped on a U.S. flag during a protest in Bellevue.
Shirley Phelps-Roper, 49, of Topeka, Kan., was arrested on suspicion of contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
Phelps-Roper acknowledged that she allowed her 10-year-old son, Jonah, to stand on the flag – an action that she says is protected by the U.S. Constitution.
Bellevue Police Capt. Herb Evers said a 1977 Nebraska statute makes it unlawful for a person to trample on a flag.
Phelps-Roper is a member of Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka. She is a daughter of the church’s founder, the Rev. Fred Phelps.
Phelps-Roper said church members have protested at more than 280 military funerals in 43 states since June 15, 2005, and that Tuesday marked her church’s first arrest at a funeral.
The Bellevue funeral was for Nebraska Army National Guard Spc. William “Bill” Bailey, who was killed May 25 when an explosive device struck his vehicle in Iraq.