- April 22, 2024
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A Bunnell woman has been arrested for damaging Trump campaign signs on private property on Palm Coast Parkway near its intersection with Colbert Lane, according to the Flagler County Sheriff's Office.
“Overall, the community has done a good job being respectful of the beliefs and opinions of others. Please continue to do so."
— RICK STALY, Flagler County sheriff
An FCSO deputy was on patrol at about 4 p.m. Oct. 31 when he saw a woman hitting campaign signs at the intersection's southwest corner, according to the deputy's report.
The deputy asked the woman what she was doing, and she said she was walking along when she saw the signs and realized she was “tired of the lies,” so she tried to destroy and remove the signs.
Speaking to another deputy, she said that she was an anarchist and didn't trust either party, and that she was "stressed out" and had "kind of snapped" and acted on impulse.
The woman had yanked a small "Women for Trump" sign out of the ground and crumpled a small "Trump-Pence" sign. A larger Trump-Pence sign was creased where she'd been striking it, according to the deputy's report. The Trump signs had been posted next to a "No Trespassing" sign.
"When I advised it's illegal to simply destroy another person's property, she stated it wasn't against the law if the signs violated her rights," the deputy wrote in the report. "She then stated Trump was a liar and a misogynist, and it was her duty to remove his campaign signs."
When the deputy asked her name, the woman gave a name that was a nickname rather than her legal name. When told it was an offense to provide a false name to law enforcement, she then identified herself as 42-year-old Tonya McRae.
“Emotions are high this election season, but it is almost over,” Sheriff Rick Staly said in an FCSO news release. “Overall, the community has done a good job being respectful of the beliefs and opinions of others. Please continue to do so. We have had sporadic reports of vandalism and theft of political signs by all parties. Remember that it is illegal to damage or steal campaign signs in the same way that it is illegal to damage or steal someone else’s property. The best way to show your opinion is by voting tomorrow, not destroying property.”
McRae is charged with Criminal Mischief and Providing a False Name to Law Enforcement, and was booked at the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility.
