CAMPAIGN SIGNS STOLEN – SIGN POST THEN USED TO SMASH STOREFRONT WINDOW

Elyria Township – With just two days to go campaigns are heating up. In Elyria Township this morning someone who is apparently not a supporter of AJ Torres, Republican running for the Office of Lorain County Sheriff, ripped down a number of signs and then smashed out a storefront window using one of the sign posts.

Russ MacNeal, owner of Underwater Dive Center Inc, said he has had the Torres for Sheriff signs in front of his business on North Ridge Road for about 4 weeks with no problems. Then this morning he receives a call from one of his customers saying one of his windows had been broken out. “I came down right away to see what had happened and found the window broken and the signs gone. The Sheriff had already been here and took the sign post to the Elyria Police Department for fingerprinting. Another Deputy was just here taking a report.”

MacNeal said it was bad enough that his store window was broken out – but then he was shocked at the response he received when he called his Township Trustee. “I call Trustee Rob Scheithauer and explained what had happened. His only response to me was, “maybe you had the wrong candidate sign in your yard.” I didn’t appreciate that at all, he’s a supporter of Sheriff Stammitti and I respect that, I just wish that he could respect my decision to support AJ and as an elected official act professionally.”

When asked if he was reluctant to post new Torres signs in his yard MacNeal said no, not at all. “This is America. The signs are going back up.”

Torres himself showed up with his son to speak with MacNeal and to post new signs. Torres said it is sad that the election has turned to dirty tricks like this. “I left my job at the State Patrol and got into this race to make a difference in the Sheriff’s Office. My goal has been to help people in the Townships who so desperately need patrol and enforcement. Since the campaign has been heating up I have had more than a hundred signs stolen, most from the Amherst area but nothing like this where a window has been broken out of a supporters business.”

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