Wednesday, August 8, 2012
© Copyright 2013
Rockdale Citizen
A 54-year-old man is charged with stealing approximately 130 campaigns signs from around the county which he admitted to painting over for his personal use. An alert deputy spotted the signs when the man's truck broke down and he was waiting for a wrecker. - Special photo
CONYERS -- Campaign signs are placed around the community to persuade voters to take action. One man, though, apparently thought all those signs were simply his for the taking.
Harold Chambers, 54, of 845 April Drive, was arrested Wednesday and charged with misdemeanor theft by taking for pilfering 130 campaign signs from around the county.
Rockdale County Sheriff's Office Investigator Michael Camp said the sheriff's office was notified of the thefts last week when a witness reported seeing Chambers remove campaign signs out of someone's yard.
On Monday, an RCSO deputy came across an abandoned truck near the intersection of Klondike and Smyrna roads that matched the description of Chambers' black and silver GMC Sonoma, according to a press release from the sheriff's office.
Camp said the deputy contacted Chambers who came back to wait for a tow truck to tow away the broken down vehicle.
"While standing by with Chambers, the deputy noticed several campaign signs located in the bed of the truck and remembered a lookout given last week of a similar truck seen taking campaign signs from someone else's property," the press release stated.
The deputy asked Chambers about the signs. Chambers told the deputy "that he painted over the signs for personal use and could show the deputy what he did to the signs at his house where he had more campaign signs," according to the press release.
The deputy then accompanied Chambers to his April Drive home, where the deputy found 125 more campaign signs, several of which had been painted over. Camp said some were laid out on his back deck.
Camp said in all, Chambers had 130 signs from 29 different political candidates. The signs all appear to be from local candidates, but politics doesn't appear to be the motive, Camp said.
"With 29 different candidates, it was spread evenly," he said. "It wasn't politically motivated and he apparently took them for his personal use."
Camp estimated the campaign signs cost about $5 apiece.
The signs are currently held at the sheriff's office until they can be returned to the appropriate candidates.
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Comments
maryinga 10 months, 2 weeks ago
If someone takes them after the election would this matter? I see county workers removing signs from the road side quite oftern. What do they do with the signs?
Southside 10 months, 2 weeks ago
The election isn't over until November. If you think something in my yard should be removed, just come get it & see what happens.
KimberlyD 10 months, 2 weeks ago
maryinga, you'd think they'd be grateful he was taking them down post-election but after the bobby Sigman scandal in Covington, stealing signs in a HUGE deal !!
conyerac 10 months, 2 weeks ago
At least they didn't have to use taxpayers money to retrive them.....I say ...let him have them....
NitetimeinDaytime 10 months, 2 weeks ago
My only issue is that he was in somone's yard removing the sign. If it was after the election, not an issue (especially if the candidates had not yet picked up the signs they placed at street corners, etc).
REK 10 months, 2 weeks ago
Sign of the times
mplcca 10 months, 1 week ago
This was a PRIMARY election. The candidates who won are running in the GENERAL election in November. But that is not even the point. Stealing is stealing.
Elmo 10 months, 1 week ago
Man...I'll bet he eats at Chick-fil-A too! It's off to the electric chair for taking $5 signs he thought were expired.
Southside 10 months, 1 week ago
Y miss the point, Elmo. What if you had a planter in your yard that I thought was out of date. I come take it (steal) when you aren't home. You want to use it later & it's gone. Is that OK? I had a coward break in my car last night, there isn't much difference to me.
Elmo 10 months, 1 week ago
An "out of date" planter? Wow...that's a good one. But if a political candidate gave me that planter, for free...with his/her campaign message on it...it could become "out of date", and expendable.
It doesn't excuse the basic premise of "theft", but it's really getting way too much press. Since the election is over, there's probably no political motive, so it leans more toward "scavaging", than theft.
If he had visited the losers of the election, they probably had rather given him the signs to avoid having to burn the gas to retrieve them, as required by law.
Now if he took signs of the primary winners, he might be in trouble as they still have to run in November.
Southside 10 months, 1 week ago
It isn't a big deal, but he is riding around with $600.00 of somebody's property. I'm not as sharp as I used to be, so my example wasn't too good. But he is 54 years old & he knew that he was stealing. I don't know him, but if he steals that.....
AJK 10 months, 1 week ago
The signs belong to the candidates. It's already hard enough to get campaign donations, so a lot of candidates will reuse the signs in their next election cycle.
Since county code enforcement has apparently been directed not to enforce our local campaign sign ordinances, in a way the guy was doing us a favor. I say he returns the signs he has to the rightful owners, and make monetary restitution for the signs he has defaced / destroyed and we call it even.
ctownslimm 10 months, 1 week ago
Someone took Sherrif Wiggington's sing out of my yard and all the other houses down the street. They left the other signs but only took Wiggington's. I wonder if it was ZO?
Zo 10 months, 1 week ago
Please post...Zo don't steal..A.Jones I guys its cool for the the virtual hood community to fasely accuse and you post their comments. But when I state the facts you block my comments. I can't wait until Lindsey get this paper in a deposition so the truth will come out the Rockdale Citizen & Newton Citizen censor BLK's who comment, give exception to certain people and allow them to post automatically at anytime,have no BLK's on their staff, and is the root cause of ALL the civil unrest in this county.
Frizzlefry 10 months, 1 week ago
LOL this fuggin guy. You crack me up man. Do you often talk in the third person?
Southside 10 months, 1 week ago
If you could put together an understandable sentence, they may hire you.
concernedcitizin 10 months, 1 week ago
Im white and all of my comments are not posted either.
concernedcitizin 10 months, 1 week ago
Zo, how many white folks do you employ ?
AJK 10 months, 1 week ago
Check with Wigington's campaign. They came by and picked up mine and my neighbor's sign.
Sookie 10 months, 1 week ago
The article fails to mention what he painted over them for his personal use. I'm curious to know. This whole thing is just silly. He was obviously misguided, but had no ill intent. He took the Deputy to show him the signs for goodness sake. Slap him on the wrist and get to work looking for the real thugs that are taking over Rockdale, er... East Dekalb County.
szbrown 10 months, 1 week ago
I'm betting this guy thought the July 31st primary was the end and didn't realize they were still useful. Why else would he show a deputy the rest of them? I guess if you're gonna be dumb, you gotta be tiough, lol.
conyerac 10 months, 1 week ago
Maybe he's having a county wide yard sale and needs lots of signs to advertise, hey there are a bunch of those still lingering from past sales...........
82011 10 months, 1 week ago
Yeah, I rode by this. There were so many deputies and plain clothes cop cars with hidden blue lights flashing that I thought they found a dead body!
LET'S GET ONE THING CLEAR! If these signs were taken from public right of ways then that is perfectly legal because they are TRASH. Thank this man and pay him for his efforts if so. I remove them too and use them to stake my tomato plants. If campaigners keep getting there signs removed from right of ways maybe they'll get the message and quit putting them there. NO CAMPAIGN SIGNS ON PUBLIC RIGHT OF WAYS!
ClaytonBigsby 10 months, 1 week ago
Zo, how in the world does the newspaper know the race of the commenters? That would be necessary in order for "censoring" to occur, wouldn't it? I'll be waiting for you to explain the magic way the paper can tell the skin color behind each comment they recieve.
I'll bet you think I'm caucasian don't you? Bahahahaha....
Southside 10 months, 1 week ago
He never gave it much thought
Zo 10 months ago
Reading comprehension allow one to gather some info about the writer. I've openly share my race as well as my political party, republican. My viewpoints tend to clash with yall's comments. And I standup to the verbal disrespect y'all show toward BLK public officials, those running for office, & anyone BLK falsely arrested. Like I told one of your peers, you wouldn't understand misjustice because YOU have never had to deal with it, Enjoy your liberties one day we all will be afforded the same & then see life from your perspective.
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