Montreal Writer Has Quebec License Plate Stolen In Philly, Finds It On Facebook

I’ve never stolen a license plate off of a car, but uh, if I did, I don’t think sharing the act with the world on Facebook would be on my post-crime agenda.

Pat Hickey, a Canadiens writer at the Montreal Gazette, told the story earlier this week about how a dude in Philly stole the Quebec license plate from his Honda Accord while it was parked in the Wachovia Center parking lot during Game 1 between the Habs and Flyers.

According to a report in the Philadelphia Inquirer, Hickey tracked down the alleged culprit on Facebook. His name is Dan Flannery, and this is what he looks like. Five minutes of fame time, Dan!

The Inquirer contacted Flannery on Thursday, and the man with the playoff beard and sunglasses shot down the idea that he was the one who stole the plate. Sure, he posed with a picture of it, but that doesn’t mean he took it.

Flannery said a friend alerted him to a news report that linked him to the car vandalizing. “It said they found the person that did it but they really didn’t because it wasn’t me.”

He admitted he posted a photo of Hickey’s license plate on his Facebook page, but said he did not vandalize the car. “I know who did it,” he said. He would not be specific and said he planned to call the police this afternoon.

Flannery said he received a call at work from “a French Canadian who was cursing me out,” and that he wants to clear his name. “They think I did it because the post was linked to me,” he said, “but I didn’t do it.”

If he did in fact do it, and even if he didn’t, he’s clearly in the wrong at least a little bit here, he’s actually going to get off pretty easily.

Flannery, who lists “Having A Good Time With Whatever Im Doing” as an activity on his Facebook profile, won’t be asked to pay the nearly $1,000 in damages to Hickey’s Honda, nor will charges be pressed by the writer. He would be asked, however, to donate that sum to a local charity in addition to making a public apology.

If Dan really is the culprit, hopefully he can have a good time while publicly coming clean as a jerk.