As Election Day draws near and some local races heat up, one candidate reported to police that some of his campaign signs had been stolen and others vandalized over the weekend, and he is offering a reward to find out who is responsible.
Carter County Sheriff Chris Mathes – who is running a write-in campaign against Republican nominee Dexter Lunceford to retain the job of sheriff – reported the theft and vandalism to a criminal investigator of the Carter County Sheriff’s Department.
“Sheriff Mathes said he had multiple signs located throughout the Roan Mountain community along Highway 19E which had been spray-painted with red and green paint,” said CCSD Sgt. Larry Vaughn in a report on the incident. “Sheriff Mathes also said that over the last several weeks he has had approximately sixty small election signs stolen from private residences located on Rittertown Road in Hampton, in the area of Golf Course Acres, and throughout the Stoney Creek community.”
Vaughn states in his report the value of the stolen and vandalized signs is estimated at $970.
Mathes said the vandalism to the signs in Roan Mountain occurred between 6 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. on Sunday.
“It was done in broad daylight on Sunday afternoon,” he said. “Anyone who was driving by would have seen it.”
Mathes said investigators with the department are currently following up on leads but he is trying to “stay out of” the investigation.
“I would personally offer up a reward of $500 for information leading to the arrest of the individuals involved,” Mathes said.