Trump, Biden sign thefts ramp up as election day nears, police say

A person's right to free speech does not include taking someone's political sign, police say.

Ted Czech
York Daily Record

Who knows what lurks inside the minds of political sign thieves: Maybe if I just steal this one last sign, my candidate will win!

Or maybe, it's not as calculated as that. But one thing is certain, it seems to happen before every major election, including next Tuesday's battle between President Donald Trump and challenger Joe Biden, former vice president.

To York resident Charles Delauder — whose Biden sign was taken from his property Oct. 16 — it just doesn't make any sense. First of all, there's the danger.

"You could get shot; a dog bites you," he said Monday. "Don't people know there's cameras everywhere now?"

Charles Delauder stands at the edge of his York city property, from which someone stole a Biden yard sign. He said the man was wearing a Trump T-shirt. Delauder  has since replaced the sign. Trump supporters also have reported missing signs from their yards during this heated political season.

Not to mention, it's probably a fruitless endeavor when it comes to influencing the hearts and minds of voters.

"That (taking a sign) doesn't change nobody's vote," he said.

Although he may disagree with Delauder politically, Chris Aldous of Red Lion — whose Trump sign was stolen last week from his York Township business — agrees that absconding with a political sign is a futile venture.

Chris Aldous stands between two steel fence posts that once held a large Trump sign on his business property in York Township.

"I think the vast majority of people already have an opinion," he said Monday.

Still, police departments in the area seem to be experiencing an increase in illegal sign-grabbing as the election nears.

"We have seen an uptick in signs being stolen from both sides," Chambersburg Police Chief Ron Camacho said.

Thefts on both sides of the aisle

In the months leading up to the election, police have been reporting instances of sign thefts and even some arrests.

In September, Newberry Township Police issued a news release after they received multiple theft reports of “Support Our Police” and political signs displayed by township residents. 

Newberry resident Lauri Lebo said she reported eight signs stolen from her property in August, including ones that stated "Black Lives Matter," "Healthcare is a Human Right" and "Hate Has No Home Here."

Signs supporting Biden and state Auditor General Eugene DePasquale, who is running for U.S. Congress, were also taken, Lebo said.

"I have spent more than $300 replacing those signs," she said.

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Also in September, Jon Shanfelder, 24, of Richland, Lebanon County, was charged by three police departments for an alleged anti-Trump political crime spree. Those alleged crimes included spray-painting "Racist" on a pickup truck, and stealing Trump and other political signs from yards, along with American flags and "We support our police" signs. 

Shanfelder is also accused of taking and damaging large Donald Trump banners and slapping "Black Lives Matter" stickers on homes and vehicles. He could not be reached for comment.

In addition, he has been charged with spray-painting "ACAB," an acronym for "All Cops Are Bastards," on a home, according to police. 

Pennsylvania State Police in York took a report from Philip Erb, of Washington Township, who said that in late June, someone stole his custom vinyl political sign, worth $164, from his property.

The sign read, "Make America Hate Again, Vote Grump."

Heated confrontations

When a sign thief is caught, often the encounters can be heated.

Springettsbury Township resident Mary Kay Sidesinger said she caught a high school-aged girl after she swiped Sidesinger's pink "Women for Trump" sign that had been placed on a nearby street median.

Sidesigner said she confronted the girl as she walked to a waiting minivan and demanded her sign back. The girl argued the sign did not belong to Sidesigner since it was in the median, until finally, a cooler head — the girl's boyfriend — returned the sign to Sidesinger.

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She said the girl approached Sidesigner in an aggressive manner when Sidesinger then tried to record the minivan's license plate with her phone. The girl eventually backed off, and Sidesigner said she did not pursue criminal charges.

Delauder said the Oct. 16 incident was not the first time someone has tried to take his political signs.

"I caught a guy out here one time, about 5 or 6 years ago," he recalled. "He put them (the signs) back and left."

Protected by the First Amendment

In their September news release about sign thefts, Newberry Township Police said that removing any sign is a crime and "does not qualify as a legal expression under your First Amendment right to free speech, regardless of your opinion."

In addition to breaking the law by removing a sign — committing theft and trespassing — there's also the violation of the moral and ethical standards by which most people live.

"Be a good neighbor and let them express themselves, just like you would like them to let you express yourself," Camacho, the Chambersburg chief, said.

At least one case of an "offensive" political sign has gone to court in Pennsylvania. Earlier this month, a federal judge presided over an agreement that prohibits Oil City in Venango County from taking action against an anti-Trump sign.

The sign's owner, William E. Healy, filed a lawsuit against the city in September, claiming the city violated his First Amendment rights when they asked him to remove the sign which read, "F--- Trump 2020" sign.

Ted Czech is a multi-platform crime/emergency journalist with The York Daily Record. He can be reached at tczech@ydr.com, at 717-771-2033 or on Twitter at @TedCzechYDR