Political sign theft continues

Mae Arent put out two signs supporting the presidential candidate of her choice.

When she drove down U.S. 15-501 this week" she noticed they were gone.

""Last week they were there" and this week they aren't" Arent said.

A number of complaints have been made to Orange County political party headquarters and to Chapel Hill police regarding recent sign thefts from both parties as election day nears.

Arent purchased the Barack Obama signs for $15. She said not only were all the Obama signs gone on the strip, but signs for local and state Democrats were missing, too.

Parties on both sides of the political spectrum have reported sign thefts.

Former Orange County Republican Party Chairman Augustus Cho, who ran against U.S. Congressional candidate B.J. Lawson in the Republican primary in May, said the incidents don't surprise him.

There's no guarantee in democracy" he said. It happened to me when I was running for Congress" so I imagine it goes on.""

Chapel Hill police spokesman Kevin Gunter said there have been two or three cases of sign theft reported since the political season began"" but that some might go unreported.

""There are so many signs on these intersections in towns" he said. People aren't reporting it to us" they're just replacing the signs.""

Under N.C. law" sign theft is a Class 3 misdemeanor which could result in 30 days or less of imprisonment or a fine.

On Oct. 11 Chapel Hill police arrested John Kees Frelinger a research coordinator at UNC for pulling up a John McCain sign during the UNC vs. Notre Dame football game. Frelinger reached by telephone declined to comment.

Kevin Wolff a Republican candidate for the Orange County Board of Commissioners reported political signs were stolen from the median of N.C. 54 at 1:18 a.m. Wednesday.

Chapel Hill residents Paul and Lolette Guthrie also had a sign stolen from their yard this week" the first time it has happened to them.

""I think certain people don't like Obama signs up"" Lolette Guthrie said. There's some ugly folks.""

Paul Guthrie is the treasurer for the Orange County Democratic Party. He said sign-stealing isn't very common"" but it seems more pervasive this year.

""I think it probably is an expression of very strong sentiments that people have and the need to move on with the election"" he said. It's heightened by the fact that it's been such a long campaign.""

The Democratic Party has distributed more than 3"000 signs during the course of the campaign and many have needed replacements recently" Paul Guthrie said.

It appears that might continue until Nov. 4.

""I just know that a huge number of signs are gone"" Arent said.

I wish that people would find whoever did it and make them put it back.""



Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.