Man Accused of Stealing 52 Campaign Signs

While complaints of disappearing campaign signs are a common election season phenomenon, catching a political thief in the act is rare.

But authorities said an off-duty Santa Paula police officer, Sgt. Wes Easley, saw a man remove a campaign sign just before 8 a.m. Sunday.

Police said they found the man with 52 campaign signs in the rear of his Chevrolet Blazer.

Police identified the suspect as Robert Hassebrock, 37, of Santa Paula, a manager at H & H Oil Tool Co. They cited him for petty theft.

Hassebrock could not be reached for comment Thursday.

According to police, Hassebrock said he took the signs down because he believed voters should base their votes on what they hear from the media, not what they see in public.

“It’s just kind of a strange one,” Police Cmdr. Mark Hanson said Thursday. “I don’t know what motivated the guy other than what he said.”

Of the 52 signs, 27 were for Democratic Assembly candidate Mindy Lorenz, 22 for Democratic state Senate candidate Jack O’Connell, two for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Kathleen Brown and one belonging to county Board of Education candidate Angela Miller.

“It’s more than annoying,” said Leslie Medina, a spokeswoman for the Lorenz campaign. “This is happening on a daily basis. It’s not just a random sign here or there.”

Medina said she believed that Lorenz’s signs in particular are being targeted in an “organized effort.” She said the signs cost $3 or $4 apiece.