U.S. flags flown upside down

Two American flags were spotted flying upside down — a sign of distress — at state and county buildings on Kauai last week.

On Wednesday, a resident emailed a photo to The Garden Island of one inverted flag in front of the Circuit Court building.

That incident turned out be an oversight by the janitor who put the flag up early that morning, said Alton Amimoto, court deputy administrator. He said the mistake was not reported to staff until 10 a.m.

"Our apologies to the Americans out there that fought so hard for that flag," Amimoto said.

On Thursday, County Clerk Ricky Watanabe reported the same thing at the Historic County Building. County spokeswoman Sarah Blane said the flag initially was put up correctly by a county worker.

"It appears we have a prankster(s) on our hands," she said by email.

The U.S. Flag Code says the flag should never be displayed with the "union down," except as a signal of dire distress.