I received the following story synopsis today from Chattanooga:

Rhea County’s June Griffin indicted on civil rights charge
A Rhea County woman known for her political activism was arrested this week when she was accused of pulling a Mexican flag off the wall of a Mexican grocery store in downtown Dayton, Tenn., and taking it with her. June Griffin, 67, of Dayton, said she was indicted Monday on felony charges of civil rights intimidation and misdemeanor charges of phone harassment, theft of under $500 and vandalism of under $500. Ms. Griffin said she turned herself in to authorities Tuesday and was released later that day on $500 bail.

While I do not condone what she did, it seems to me that charging her with a contrived federal felony is too much. If she took private property, then it would be theft and she should be charged as such. This is another example of how so much of the federal criminal system exists to employ overkill in legal relations.