James Zusack is not a politician, and he never wants to be considered a politician, but Belmont County’s chief deputy has come to know a few things about politics.
Like, don’t mess with someone’s campaign signs.
“That’s not the way to play,” Zusack insisted. “You know how much those signs cost? I do, and they’re not cheap. Plus, it’s a crime and if we catch someone, they will be charged.”
Zusack, chief deputy for 12 years under Sheriff Dave Lucas, will become Belmont County’s next sheriff on January 6th, explained that he’s received a number of complaints from both challengers and incumbents about stolen, damaged, and moved campaign signs. The Belmont County ballot features one contested county race (Coroner), several district and state races, a duel for a U.S. Senate seat, and a few congressional races, as well.
“We’re taking it seriously,” Zusack said. “I know from just riding around the county that I’ve seen some political signs that were just run over by vehicles. The signs were located along the side of the roads in a few areas and motorists have just destroyed them by running their tires right over them,” he said. “That’s pretty extreme if you ask me.
“It’s not something we can tolerate because we’re talking about theft, the destruction of property, and it’s a free speech issue, too. It’s pretty childish, if you think about it,” he said. “If we can make arrests, we’re going to because the law is the law. We have to address it, and we are.”
Several of the registered complaints have pertained to “Issue” signage around Belmont County, according to local media reports. The State Issue on the November ballot is a proposed constitutional amendment that would create an appointed redistricting commission not elected by or subject to removal by the voters of the state.
“But it doesn’t matter what (political) party is involved or what issue it is,” Zusack insisted. “It’s a crime to steal or damage a political sign and that’s all we care about at the Belmont County Sheriff’s Office.”
Location. Location. Location.
The chief deputy said, at this time, they are examining every report and complaint so they can separate true leads from pure speculation, but one fact seems solid – most of the sign crimes have taken place in the dark of night.
“We’re collecting information right now so we can see if there have been trends, and to see where it’s happening most often. We’re also looking at what signs have been affected the most because there are a lot of races this year, and there are a ton of signs for and against the issues on the ballot,” Zusack said. “I can tell you that we’ve received reports about damaged or stolen sizes from people from all areas of the county.
“It’s not just been one or two complaints either. We get calls about it every day,” he said. “It has to stop. People are going to vote and the decisions will be made,” she said. “That’s the way it’s supposed to work, right?”
Phil Wallace, the chair of Belmont County’s Democratic Party, told WTRF a week ago the following”
“But in Belmont County, mainly, our cameras are out. When we catch you stealing signs, we will prosecute, we will do it to the fullest. And if you take my word, we will see to it that you get some free meals for a few days.”
Zusack confirmed he is aware of the use of cameras and of the potential evidence video could provide.
“If some people have cameras pointed at their signs, I wouldn’t blame them. If we can get a positive identification from one of those cameras, an arrest will be made. That’s how this works,” the soon-to-be-sheriff said. “The way we’re going these days, people should get used to the idea of being on camera most of the time because more and more go up every day.
“There are lot of signs out there and we still have a little more than two weeks, so our deputies will be keeping an eye on the situation,” Zusack added. “The damage I’ve seen wasn’t caused by the weather either. It’s been very intentional, and it’s a crime.”
