FAYETTEVILLE -- The Bernie Sanders campaign headquarters in Fayetteville has had a rash of nighttime sign thefts.
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Yard signs that are 18-by-24 inches have disappeared five nights in a row.
Sarah Scanlon, state director of the Sanders campaign, said they would give the signs away if people asked for them. Scanlon said people sometimes come by campaign offices after hours and take signs to put in their own yards, but the theft of a 3-by-6-foot banner on Saturday night was different.
"It was firmly attached, so they had to cut the ropes," Scanlon said. "It could very well be kids who want to put it in the dorm room for all I know. It could be a fraternity prank."
Peyton Olsen, a field organizer for the Sanders campaign, called Fayetteville police Sunday to report the theft of several signs over the previous three nights.
According to the police report from that initial call, six signs and a banner were stolen. The signs were valued at $5 each, and the banner was valued at $100.
Olsen told police the suspects were taking signs off posts and had damaged one of the posts.
She requested extra police patrols through February. The Arkansas primary will be March 1. Olsen said Sanders' Fayetteville office opened Feb. 1.
On Monday, Olsen called the Fayetteville Police Department to report the theft of another sign.
She said two more were missing Tuesday. Olsen said they request a $5 donation for each sign, but they give the signs away if people don't want to donate.
Olsen said some of the signs that disappeared were on Center Street and the Frisco Trail, which are near the campaign headquarters building in Fayetteville. The trail is part of the Razorback Greenway.
Scanlon said the campaign will replace the banner but they'll probably bring it in each night when the office closes.
Under Arkansas Code Annotated 5-36-103(b)(4), theft of property is a misdemeanor if the value is less than $1,000.
Sanders has two campaign headquarters in Arkansas. The other is in Little Rock.
Metro on 02/10/2016