Santa Rosa Republican Executive Committee member caught stealing campaign signs

George Oedsma, a member of Santa Rosa County Republican Executive Committee, faces a charge of petty theft after being caught with a stash of Sam Parker campaign signs in the back of his SUV.

Parker said a local business owner had witnessed a vehicle pull into an empty parking lot of a closed business at about 7:30 a.m. on the morning of July 22, about an hour before a scheduled meeting of the Santa Rosa County Commission, and walk around removing Sam Parker signs in the right of way beside the road.

The as-yet unidentified man tossed the signs into the back of a SUV and left. But when he did so the business owner got a photo of the vehicle.

Parker said he didn't have a clue who the owner of the culprit vehicle was, but decided to drive around the Administrative Offices parking lot when he arrived ahead of the meeting to see if he could spot the SUV from the photo he'd received.

Sure enough, he located it.

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The former deputy took a quick look into the SUV he suspected might have been the one that had driven off with his signs and, lo and behold, beneath some boxes apparently strategically placed to hide the evidence, he saw signs he recognized as his own.

Still unsure who the SUV in question belonged to, Parker contacted the deputy working security for the meeting, who in turn reached out to another deputy.

The patrol officer who arrived on scene was able to identify the vehicle in question as belonging to George Oedsma, a member of the county's Republican Executive Committee and contributor to the campaign of Parker opponent Bobby Burkett. The vehicle itself had sign decals on its door for another candidate, Jerry Couey, who is running against Rhett Rowell and current commissioner James Calkins in District 3.

Santa Rosa County's Republican Executive Committee is strongly tied to the far-right Gulf Coast Patriots, of which REC chairperson Sharon Regan has been an officer.

Oedsma denied any wrongdoing, said Parker, who confronted him outside the Administrative Building as he was helping deputies retrieve the allegedly purloined signs.

Oedsma did not respond to the News Journal's attempts to contact him at the phone number listed for him in the Executive Committee member roster Wednesday. Calls to Regan, the chairperson of the Santa Rosa County Republican Party, also were not returned.

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Efforts Wednesday afternoon to retrieve a copy of a Sheriff's Office report chronicling the sign swiping incident were unsuccessful, but Ginger Bowden Madden, state attorney for Florida's First Judicial Circuit, confirmed that her office had been consulted and had informed law enforcement investigators that they had enough evidence to take legal action.

Santa Rosa County Chief Deputy Randy Tifft said that Oedsma faces a single count of petty theft, a misdemeanor. He is scheduled to appear in court at 8:30 a.m. Sept 5.

Parker said he was notified Friday that Oedsma was facing charges. He applauded the willingness of authorities to prosecute the case.

"That is uncalled for, and at the end of the day it's criminal," he said. "The bottom line is I have zero tolerance for anyone committing a crime just because they don't agree with another candidate. That's 100% against what our democracy stands for. It goes against democracy and open elections."

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Santa Rosa Republican Executive Committee member caught stealing campaign signs