TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) – Political signs are everywhere, but taking them is against the law.
It’s a steal, and supporters and candidates alike said it takes away from the conversation.
“I don’t have bumper stickers or anything on my car. Who I vote for is who I vote for,” he said, adding that signs supporting political candidates are on his property. said Greg Casey, who discovered it had been stolen from the store.
Casey once allowed a political sign on his property supporting a Catalina Foothills School District trustee candidate, but the sign disappeared. A camera pointed at the substitutes showed someone trying to take them away.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s a political sign or not, taking someone’s property is theft,” he said. “I don’t understand why someone goes out of their way to put something up, no matter what it’s worth, and then some people think they’re entitled to it just because they don’t like the person on the sign. I don’t understand. .
Casey held up a sign for Bart Pemberton and Jennifer Repsher, who are also running for office.
Pemberton said he lost 30 signs overnight and the theft was about $1,000.
Tom Logue, who runs with Jacqueline Davoli and Eileen Jackson, said he has received reports of signs piled up in laundry or missing signs due to damage from trucks and other vehicles. Another candidate, Brooke Arispe, did not respond to an email, but both sides agreed that stealing and vandalizing signs costs money and time.
“You and your supporters are paying for these signs, and you know my blisters are just about to go away with driving rebar into the ground. So it’s a lot of time and effort. “And it’s disheartening to see these signs, like many of us have experienced, with signs gone or vandalized,” Logue said.
“And the rebar that comes with it, and the time comes to put it in place. Especially this time, with voting starting. So this is really election interference in a sense. You can’t get the message out. And it’s It’s illegal,” Pemberton said.
An investigation into who took the sign continues, but the person who provided the video said the person was at the same location where deputies responded to the search.
The woman who answered the door at that address did not answer any questions if she received a sign and told her to leave her property. Under state law, political signs are protected until 15 days after a general election.
“For me, I don’t really care who you support or whether you vote or not, but what’s in the ballot box is all that matters,” Casey said.
The Pima County Sheriff’s Office said the investigation is open and that it follows similar procedures for political signs and other issues. According to state law, sign theft is a second-degree misdemeanor.
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