Trending
ALPENA -- People considering stealing, destroying, or defacing political signs may want to think twice before doing so, police say.
Local police say they believe there is an uptick in the number of signs being tampered with, though they don't have data to back that up.
Michigan State Police Sgt. Dave Warner said a person convicted of stealing or damaging a political sign faces up to 93 days in jail and possibly a $500 fine per count. A trespassing charge could also land someone in jail for up to 90 days, he added.
Police in Northeast Michigan have taken calls on political signs, and Warner suspects the number of complaints is higher than in previous election cycles.
"It does seem to be going up," he said. "The political arena is heated, for sure, but I can't say for certain that the numbers are up, but it does seem like it."
The Rogers City Police Department is currently investigating a complaint made by Rich Bennett, a business owner in Rogers City.
Bennett said he had a political sign in opposition to the statewide Proposal 3, which aims to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution, on his private property. The sign was removed and destroyed after it was in place for only a few hours, he said.
Bennett said whoever committed the crime did so in the middle of the day on U.S.-23 near his business.
Bennett said he has filed a police report, and, in addition, he is offering a $5,000 reward to the person who can provide information leading to the arrest and conviction of the culprit or culprits.
Tips about the alleged crime can be reported to the Rogers City Police Department at 989-734-2191.
Steve Schulwitz can be reached at 989-358-5689 at sschulwitz@thealpenanews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ss_alpenanews.com.