Elgin County OPP are investigating after seven political campaign signs were damaged or destroyed in the West Elgin area over the last week.
The signs were for Karen Vecchio, the Conservative candidate for Elgin-Middlesex-London.
It's the way the signs were damaged that has her campaign advisors concerned - four of them were torched.
Election signs now are almost aways made of the corrugated plastic, so that when you light them up they both burn and melt.
"Once they turned to arson, burning the signs, you know, it can spread and obviously anybody doing this is not going to stick around and make sure it's a safe burn. They're going to take off and, you know, the concern is somebody can get hurt unintentionally," says Bob Purcell, Vecchio's campaign manager.
He says his team doesn't believe any of the other candidates are involved.
"We know for sure it's not the other campaigns because they're all professional. And Karen knows the other candidates well and they would not do this type of stuff."
Police are taking this seriously.
“Certainly we're looking at this as a criminal behaviour so if someone were to be caught they would be charged with either mischief, or if they stole the sign, then theft. And we could also be looking at arson. So these are criminal charges, criminal offences and could result in arrest or possible jail time,” says Elgin County OPP Const. Troy Carlson.
The signs were damaged or destroyed at the following locations:
- Graham and Thompson Line, just south of West Lorne, 4x4 sign burned twice
- Queens Line and Graham, just north of West Lorne, 4x4 sign burned
- Pioneer Line at Dunborough intersection, on “S” bend, 4x4 sign burned
- Currie Road at Lakeview (Backus Page Museum corner), 4x4 sign burned
- Talbot Line; just East of Chatham Kent border, sign damaged
- Sign at Clachan entrance; just east of intersection, sign damaged
Anyone with information on these mischiefs should immediately contact OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or 519-631-2920 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
