Confronted with the question, "Are you taking Joe Walsh signs?" the Demcoratic Party operative says, "No, I was putting up signs. I hope you don't take any signs."
I haven’t done a story on sign stealing, but it certainly is happening. I should have taken a photo last week of the missing Mike Mahon sign between the Keith Nygren and Sally Wiggins signs on the northeast corner of the Crystal Lake Blacktop and Hillside Road.
But I didn’t. Just imagine the image, please.
Here’s Joe Walsh’s press release:
Joe Walsh Signs stolen by Bean Operative from Maryland Democratic Party
At approximately 11:30 PM last night, an automobile registered in Maryland, was involved in the alleged theft of Joe Walsh for Congress campaign signs in Hainesville, Illinois.
The theft occurred at the intersection of Illinois Route 120 and Illinois Route 134.
Steve Tucker, a volunteer in the Joe Walsh for Congress campaign, and another volunteer, were sitting in a car at the 7-11 gas station across the street, and observed the passenger of a car with Maryland License Plate (8 MD 1526) remove three Joe Walsh for Congress campaign signs from the shoulder of the road and replace them with campaign signs for Melissa Bean.
The getaway car was registered with a specialty license plate issued by the State of Maryland for the Maryland Democratic Party.
Tucker was able to begin recording video of the theft as he pulled up behind the automobile.
After Tucker confronted the passenger about the theft, the woman driving the getaway car could clearly be heard on the video yelling “Get in the car, quick”.
The video has been released on www.YouTube.com and is titled “Joe Walsh Sign Theft”.
"Get away" car's plate has an American Flag on the left. The number looks like 8MD 1526.
A Police report was immediately filed with the Grayslake Police Department by the Walsh volunteers, and the three Melissa Bean campaign signs that were placed along Illinois Route 120 by the passenger in the automobile were retained as physical evidence by the Grayslake Police Department.
The video is also being reviewed.
Criminal charges are pending.
= = = = =
So, this Walsh volunteer is a man after my own heart.
Take your camera. Never can tell when there will be a story right in front of you.
I looked here for the license plate type, but couldn’t find it.
I looked here and couldn’t find it. Maryland has a lot of different plates.
Then I looked at a link sent with the press release.
If it's the same series, what Steve Tucker says in the video, "Busted," is probably correct.
The “MD” doesn’t stand for “Maryland” or “Medical Doctor.” It seems to stand for “Maryland Democrat.”
Wow, these Walsh groupies just get more pathetic by the hour.
The signs are clearly still in the ground, and the young lady is not touching or even standing near any of them at the beginning of the video, when the supposed “theft” would have taken place.
What did she do, pull them up and put them back in the ground? Get a life, Mr. Tucker.
Good for you…caught the Bean sign bunglers at work.
Interesting, an out of state Demon Democrat doing dirty work for Bean.
Makes you wonder why Bean didn’t use local talent.
Will be interesting to see if the PD actually arrests anyone.
If it were Democrat signs being stolen, people would already be in the hoosegow.
Gimme a break watch the video, the young girl is standing behind the Bean sign.
Where one woulnd stand to put it in the ground.
No where in the video does that young girl handle or touch a walsh sign.
Joe’s big black SUV needs to stop chasing young kids and intimidating them.
These kids are getting involved, just like they have been asked to. But I guess they should be involved in tea party politics or nothing at all. What a shame.
I am a Joe Walsh supporter, but I don’t see what these two excitable men think they saw. The gal had nothing in her hand and seemed freaked out by the approach of the man taking video of her standing there , possibly putting in her own signs. I see many Joe Walsh signs still in view.
If these “innocent” Maryland Democratic party members were indeed “chased” off don’t you think they would have has some contact with law enforcement. Organized national campaign workers would have been itching to tell there side of the story to anyone who would listen if there was nothing to hide in that car. Face it the side with nothing to hide stuck around for law enforcement the other side disappeared into the night.
Someone in the republican party is stealing signs as well. On the corner of Main street and Virginia There were signs for GalTropp had a 8 foot by 4 foot sign stolen with fence post stakes, Sally Wiggins lost two 4×4 signs and fence posts taken. mark Boroos had 4 18 x24 in signs taken and Mike Mahon had 2 18×24 inch signs taken. All that was left was two sheriff Nygren signs Kurtz sign and Kirk sign. A silver SUV was seen by bike shop employees removing the signs. We have seen that vehicle before putting up signs for a republican. Since a license plate was copied down the vehicle will be searched out at tonight’s parties and a formal complaint will be issued against that person and have them arrested at the party for embarrassment. Nice to have two eye witnesses! So the end result is independents and democrats had hundreds of dollars worth of signs stolen going into the felony class of theft
Someone in the Republican party is stealing signs as well and we have witnesses. On the corner of Main street and Virginia There were signs for Galtropp had a 8 foot by 4 foot sign stolen with fence post stakes $180, Sally Wiggins lost two 4×4 signs and fence posts taken the material alone is worth $180. Mark Boroos had 4 18 x24 in signs taken $25 and Mike Mahon had 2 18×24 inch signs taken $15. All that was left was two sheriff Nygren signs Kurtz sign and Kirk sign. A silver SUV was seen by bike shop employees removing the signs. We have seen that vehicle before putting up signs for a Republican candidate. Since a license plate was copied down the vehicle will be searched out at tonight’s parties and a formal complaint will be issued against that person and have them arrested at the party for embarrassment. Nice to have two eye witnesses! So the end result is independents and democrats had hundreds of dollars worth of signs stolen going into the felony class of theft
Careful Say What, Patrick will point out to you that 2 eyewitness do not mean anything and that you are clearly “chasing” and “intimidating” these innocent people trying to be involved. Its almost as if you are saying these people have to be involved with Democratic politics or “nothing at all”. “What a shame”.
Did I get that right, Patrick? 😉
Oh and “say what”, seems interesting you want to discourage people who actually live here from being involved but seem absolutely OK with hired guns coming in from out of state political organizations to steal from locals.
“Say What” also interesting that you claim to have the pull to stage an arrest at a predetermined location and time with the intent to embarrass someone at a political event you oppose….How very Democratic. Should be interesting if you find officers willing to be such political pawns now that this intent of Democratic operatives has been made publically.
I happen to believe anyone caught stealing any of these signs from either side should be prosecuted. However, any incidents should be reported to appropriate law enforcement and documented. Preparing a retaliatory ambush as “say what” is suggesting with the intent of sending a political message starts leading down a very slippery slope.
Then what about the City of McHenry taken the sign from in front of 4 polling locations before they close. They should be arrested also.
I mean they took all even Joes signs so are you going to file a lawsuit against them? I think not.
Maybe it would be best not to have these signs posted all over the countryside and that INCLUDES ANY of those signs!!! I don’t like seeing them all over the place and I don’t even read them 90% of the time!! I don’t think they help anyway!! It’s just looks too trashy!!