Campaign signs reported stolen in north Phoenix neighborhood

By Marissa Sarbak

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    PHOENIX (KNXV) — A Phoenix resident is pleading for an alleged thief to stop after she says not only were her political yard signs stolen, but she was also left a hateful letter and dog poop in her yard.

“I had a Harris/Walz and a Vote Blue sign right here on the corner,” Mary stated as she pointed to the front of her property in north Phoenix. “I came out Sunday morning and discovered the signs were gone and there was a big pile of dog poop in my driveway. And this wasn’t one or two… this was like a half a bucket of dog poop that was dumped in my driveway.”

Mary filed a police report on October 6th, and put new campaign signs up, only, she said, to have them taken once again on October 8th. She filed a second police report with the Phoenix Police Department. Home surveillance video from a neighbor’s house caught a glimpse of a man appearing to steal the new signs off her property. The next morning, she says she found a long winded letter with profanity and political attacks left for her.

A neighbor a few blocks away, Mark Sumstine, said his campaign signs were also stolen from his property last week. “It’s just irritating that somebody decided to steal stuff off my house. Not their house. My house.” Sumstine decided to get new signs, and put them above his garage, instead of on the front lawn. “I put up this little display right around my security camera. So if you want them now, come give me a nice good face shot and we’ll turn it over to police for enforcement.”

After a frustrated post on the Next Door app about the missing signs, Sumstine thought it would spark angry comments, but instead, he said it brought support from residents from all political viewpoints.

Mary said she’ll continue putting up new signs, no matter how many times they’re stolen from her property. The Phoenix resident pleaded, “I’m just asking you to stop and respect my right to my free speech. I respect yours. Absolutely I respect yours. I might not like it, but I respect it.”

So, is it illegal to steal or damage political signs? According to the Arizona Legislature,

“It is a class 2 misdemeanor for any person to knowingly remove, alter, deface or cover any political sign of any candidate for public office or in support of or opposition to any ballot measure, question or issue or knowingly remove, alter or deface any political mailers, handouts, flyers or other printed materials of a candidate or in support of or opposition to any ballot measure, question or issue that are delivered by hand to a residence for the period commencing seventy-one days before an election and ending fifteen days after the election, except that for a sign for a candidate in a primary election who advances to the general election, the period ends fifteen days after the general election.”

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