Four men were arrested in Frederick, Md., for allegedly stealing a 6-foot fiberglass key from the city's downtown.

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The key, one of 30 such objects decorated by local artists and scattered around downtown Frederick, was recovered from a house the alleged thieves were staying in, The Washington Post reported Monday.

The object, which was painted by Jonathan West to resemble the U.S. flag, was taken from a downtown sidewalk Sunday morning. Witnesses reported the thieves smiling and waving while taking the key, the newspaper said.

The theft follows the weekend disappearance of another key, painted by Gail Padgett and Roni Nehemias to bear a resemblance to the Maryland flag, outside the Maryland School for the Deaf. That key has yet to be recovered.

"It's mostly goofy people who are drunk, usually, and it's something new for them to mess with," Officer Rebecca Huegel of the Frederick police told the Post.