Man charged with stealing political signs

AVOCA — A Wyoming Borough man is facing theft charges after he was allegedly observed by an Avoca police officer stealing two political signs earlier this month.

Eric Gerald Skelton, 44, is scheduled for a preliminary hearing Nov. 12 on two misdemeanor counts of theft filed by Avoca police.

According to the criminal complaint:

A police officer monitoring traffic in the area of Main and McAlpine streets observed a vehicle park in the area of the Norfolk Southern Railroad just after 4 a.m. on Oct. 3.

The driver of the vehicle, identified as Skelton, removed two political signs that he took down a hill, the complaint says.

When the officer confronted Skelton, the complaint says, he claimed he removed the signs because they were placed on “public property.” The officer informed Skelton the property where the signs were placed is owned by Avoca Borough.

Skelton further told the officer, “I just don’t like them, they offend me, and if they’re on public property, they can be taken. I don’t touch them in people’s yards, but these are on public property,” the complaint says.