Over the past several years, many school bond measures have failed to win the approval of Maricopa County voters. That trend has created an atmosphere of almost desperation in some school districts, particularly among the personnel and various businesses that rely on those bond projects for survival.
This week, a Paradise Valley Unified School District (PVUSD) Board candidate, Eddy Jackson, who opposes the district’s current bond measure, found himself face-to-face with a group of men he believes are responsible for the theft of campaign signs.
The campaign signs are simple enough, and explain just that the PVUSD bond is supported by contractors who may benefit from bond projects. The message definitely caught the attention of someone who disliked it.
According to Jackson, he put out twelve informational signs on Monday, October 16. Half of those signs were stolen the next morning. Within days, all but one was gone.
After being alerted to a theft in progress, Jackson went to the scene of the crime and followed the alleged thieves to a storage locker off Bell and Tatum, where Jackson filmed his confrontation with the men. In the video, the men do not deny stealing the signs, instead they seem to accuse Jackson of placing the signs illegally. All of this is occurring while Jackson’s signs are in clear view of the camera.
Eventually, the men only returned two of Jackson’s signs in their possession and kept the rest.
The men then left the scene in the white box truck they are seen in the video unloading, and the tall man in the grey t-shirt leaves the scene in a black Lincoln SUV.
Jackson immediately called the police. The officer asked him to no longer pursue the escaping men and to file a police report.
A.R.S. 16-1019 makes knowingly removing, altering, defacing or covering any political sign of any candidate for public office or in support of or opposition to any ballot measure, question or issue a Class 2 misdemeanor, carrying the punishment of a $750 fine and up to 4 months in jail for each infraction.
Jackson claims that his signs were in full compliance with A.R.S. 16-1019, which requires that signs contain the “name and telephone number or website address of the candidate or campaign committee contact person.”
Jackson is hoping someone can identify the alleged thieves so they can be brought to justice.