(STORY IMAGE:KHQ.COM)
SPOKANE, Wash. -Last week campaign signs for Lisa Brown and Cathy McMorris Rodgers were ripped out of yards in a South Hill neighborhood about a week ago and haven't been seen since until Thursday. A pile of stolen signs was seen at Edwidge Woldson Park.
We reached out to the Lisa Brown campaign for a statement:
"We're aware of the issue, and we'll continue to replace the signs as supporters request. We don't know who's taking the signs, but they're clearly not supporters of Lisa Brown, and must feel threatened by the outpouring of support (as indicated by the thousands of signs displayed across the district)," the campaign said Thursday.
Following the discovery of the signs we also reached out to the Cathy McMorris Rodgers campaign. Spokesperson Jared Powell said, "Campaigns are a battle of ideas, and stealing campaign signs is completely unacceptable."
While some might think stealing signs is harmless, it's actually a serious crime. In Washington state, anyone who removes or defaces lawfully placed political signs is guilty of a misdemeanor, which can be punishable with up to 90 days in jail or a $1,000 fine.