Campaign signs found slashed in New Haven

NEW HAVEN, Ind. (WANE) — A member of Allen County Council is speaking out after noticing campaign signs in New Haven that had been sliced in half.

At-Large Allen County Councilman Kyle Kerley spotted multiple campaign signs at the corner of Maplecrest Road and State Road 930 that were damaged beyond repair.

In addition to slashed signs, Kerley said at least two dozen signs across the county have been stolen.

“I’ve been in office for six years [and] I’ve been helping political campaigns for over 20 years and this is the worst that we’ve seen it,” Kerley said.

Depending on the sign, Kerley said some signs can cost as much as $100, and he stressed that acts like these can be demoralizing for local politicians.

“Candidates spend hundreds of hours putting up signs all across the county … the money that pays for these signs comes from donors,” Kerley said.

Kerley hopes those who have been damaging the signs will realize they are doing more than just destroying property.

“It’s really childish behavior. It’s not really funny,” Kerley said. “This is, in a way, taking away people’s 1st Amendment rights to free speech. They’re silencing the candidates, and they’re actually silencing the people that are supporting those candidates.”

According to the Indiana Election Division, removing campaign signs without the authority to do so could warrant a criminal conversion charge .

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