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<p>BLOOMSBURG &#8212; Several flags depicting swastikas were confiscated from a vendor Monday by Bloomsburg Fair officials.</p><p>Bill Barratt, head of security at the weeklong fair, said the vendor &#8212; Lawrence Betsinger, who operated a merchandise stand where the flags were on display &#8212; was asked to leave the fairgrounds about noon Monday. Betsinger agreed to stop selling his products immediately and be off the grounds by Tuesday morning.</p><p>A 72-year-old resident of Indiana, Pa., Betsinger was selling flags, hats and other items at his stand. Barratt said the flags confiscated from the stand were returned to Betsinger and fair officials said the $800 vendor fee he paid was refunded.</p><p>An image of a flag at Betsinger&#8217;s display was captured on a cellphone and posted on dozens of Facebook pages Monday. The posts generated numerous comments about the flag&#8217;s inflammatory and offensive nature.</p><p>Other responses to the post indicated support for displaying the flag, citing the First Amendment.</p><p>Betsinger&#8217;s name appears on the state of Pennsylvania&#8217;s sex-offender registry, with a description of his offense as &#8220;obscene and sexual materials and performance.&#8221;</p><p>Court records indicate that in August 2007, he was charged with at least 20 counts of possession, sale and dissemination of child pornography.</p><p>In April 2008, he pled guilty to possession of child pornography, received three years probation, was fined and placed on the registry.</p><p>It is not known whether Betsinger&#8217;s appearance at the fair violated the conditions associated with his being placed on the registry.</p><p>Bloomsburg Fair President Paul Reichart issued a statement explaining the presence of the flags and the fair&#8217;s response.</p><p>&#8220;We were initially unaware of (them) and other merchandise being displayed by a vendor on our fairgrounds,&#8221; Reichart said Monday in a news release on the fair&#8217;s Facebook page. Most (Facebook) posts were made after midnight (Sunday night) and as soon as we were made aware of it early this morning, we took the appropriate action with the vendor to remove those items.&#8221;</p><p>Reichart said with over 1,200 vendors, it is difficult for officials to monitor each one individually.</p><p>&#8220;Whenever someone brings something like this to our attention, we always discuss it with the vendor and take any steps to maintain a family-fun atmosphere at our fair,&#8221; he said.</p><p>Barratt said he hopes the issue has been resolved and attendees will focus on the positive activities available at the annual event, which started Friday and will end Saturday.</p><style>
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<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Geri Gibbons</p><p>ggibbons@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Geri Gibbons at 570-991-6117 or on Twitter @TLGGibbons</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Update: Vendor offering flags with swastika asked to leave Bloomsburg Fair grounds