Rapid City Journal: Vandals target GOP campaign signs

Saturday, October 2, 2004 11:31 PM MDT

Vandals target GOP campaign signs
By Kevin Woster, Journal Staff Writer

RAPID CITY - The battle over political yard signs continued in Rapid City on Friday night, and the Republicans seemed to get the worst of it.

Signs supporting Republican candidates John Thune and Larry Diedrich were spray painted, stolen or destroyed up and down West Boulevard, as well as on several streets nearby. West Boulevard resident Ellen Drabek said Saturday that she lost two signs from her yard during the night.
'Mine weren't painted. Mine were stolen. And there were two large Thune signs up at St. Patrick Street that were broken up. All the rest of them were spray painted,' Drabek said. 'None of the Democratic signs were touched.'

The vandalism and thefts occurred about two weeks after three Rapid City teenagers were caught after they were spotted in the act of stealing a large yard sign for Democrat Stephanie Herseth from a West Boulevard yard. Signs for Democrat Tom Daschle also had been taken.

Reports of stolen or defaced political signs have come from throughout the state, from both Democrats and Republicans. The Friday night incident seemed to be isolated to the West Boulevard area, Sgt. Ron Bedard of the Rapid City Police Department said.

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