Campaign signs repeatedly stolen, damaged in Gaston County

GASTONIA, N.C. — Someone has been stealing and destroying political signs across Gaston County, and the Democratic Party chairman told Channel 9 this has been going on for a while now.

David Brown told Channel 9′s Ken Lemon on Friday that a banner once stretched between two metal rods in front of the Democratic Party headquarters in Gastonia, but someone cut it down. They replaced it using plywood to protect the sign, but it was targeted again.

Their security camera captured video of someone cutting the sign. Brown shared a screenshot from the video, and you can see a car stopped in front of the headquarters on E. Franklin Boulevard.

Brown says a person apparently used a knife to damage the campaign sign.

While the party does plan to replace it, they’re not happy about what has happened.

“Kind of pathetic that you feel the need to do this,” Brown told Lemon. “It shows that you are a scared, weak individual and you are violating our First Amendment rights. So I hope the law comes down heavy on you and you learn your lesson.”

The party turned the video over to the Gastonia Police Department.

>>At 5, see how the punishment for this kind of crime is different from other misdemeanors.

(VIDEO: Local organization finding new use for campaign signs across the county)

Local organization finding new use for campaign signs across the county

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