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Miami Herald
5 days ago
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Trail camera catches political candidate stealing opponent's sign, NY police say
A local political candidate in upstate New York has been arrested after state police said a trail camera captured him stealing his opponent's political sign off a lawn. The sign had been stolen days earlier and trashed, according to New York State Police. Joseph A. Mooney, 54, a Republican supervisor candidate for the town of Lee, is facing one count of petit larceny, authorities said in a May 28 news release. Lee is about a 45-mile drive northeast from Syracuse. Mooney, of Ava, has denied wrongdoing in statements shared on his candidate Facebook page since his arrest. 'I see this action as an unfortunate and underhanded attempt to discredit me or pressure me into stepping away from this race,' Mooney wrote of his arrest on May 28. He declined to provide an immediate comment when contacted by McClatchy News the morning of May 29. On May 23, a few days before Mooney is accused of taking his political opponent's sign, the other candidate for town supervisor alerted state police, reporting his sign was stolen from his friend's lawn, according to authorities. The other candidate is Lawrence James 'Jamo' Jones Jr., the Daily Sentinel newspaper reported. State troopers found the sign supporting Jones in a dumpster behind a business — owned by Mooney, police said. Mooney owns Joey's Pizzeria and Tavern in Lee, according to the Daily Sentinel. After the discovery, 'troopers returned the sign to the property owner and the sign was placed back on the lawn,' police said. Jones' friend then set up a trail camera to watch the sign, according to authorities. The friend called state police again on May 28, saying his camera recorded Mooney stealing the sign from the lawn, police said. Mooney, however, is maintaining that the property is rented by him and his business. 'Over the weekend, my opponent placed election signs around town, including one on the property where we operate and maintain our business….We were not asked for permission to place a sign there,' Mooney wrote on Facebook. 'As such, it was removed.' Mooney said that 'a few days later, another sign was placed on the same property — this time with a trail camera nearby.' 'Again, no permission was given, and once more, the sign was removed,' his post continued. Mooney is calling for the terms of the property's lease to be immediately clarified, writing in another Facebook post that 'statements currently being circulated are false and misleading.' After Mooney was taken into custody, he was released and issued a court appearance ticket, according to state police. He's due in court at a later date.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Town of Lee supervisor candidate accused of stealing opponent's signs
TOWN OF LEE, NY (WUTR/WFXV/WPNY) — A candidate for town supervisor in the Town of Lee has been arrested by New York State Police for allegedly stealing his opponent's campaign signs. The Daily Sentinel first reported that 54-year-old Joseph Mooney of Ava allegedly stole a campaign sign for Lawrence James — his opponent in the Republican primary race for the Town of Lee Supervisor — from the parking lot of his business on Turin Road. While Mooney owns the business — a pizzeria and tavern in the town — another person, Mark Petroski, owns the land that is leased for the business's parking lot and was allowed to use a portion of the land for his own use. Petroski claims he posted the sign for James on Saturday, and it went missing shortly after. When troopers came to investigate, they found the campaign sign in a dumpster behind the business, which was returned to its owner. Petroski said he posted a second sign — along with a trail camera, which caught Mooney allegedly removing the sign. That tape was turned over to New York State Police, who arrested Mooney. Mooney was charged with one count of petit larceny, a Class A Misdemeanor. He was released on an appearance ticket, which can be returned to the Town of Lee Court at a later date. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
