Police Report: Ripping Out Romney AND Obama Yard Signs

There are often complaints during campaign season (wait, when is the last time we've been out of campaign season?) about people stealing political yard signs.

But it's rare to see someone ripping out signs for competing candidates.

Someone did that in Brookfield, pulling up signs for both Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney and President Barack Obama at neighboring homes.

According to police reports:

A resident in the 14900 block of West North Avenue reported Oct. 1 that a large, black “official-looking” car with some sort of round logo stopped in front of his house.

By the time the resident came outside, the car was gone and someone had pulled out his Romney campaign signs — and his neighbor’s Obama signs — leaving them on the ground.

The city’s Inspection Services Department said it had not done so. It wasn’t clear if they were in public right of way because there were power poles there, even though the signs were more than 10 feet off the road.

In other recent calls to Brookfield police:

First theft at Trader Joe’s? An iPhone was reported stolen on Oct. 1 from a purse left out in the open in the store under construction at 12665 W. Bluemound Rd. The store opens Nov. 2.

Vodka and tequilla theft: A 41-year-old man was arrested about 2 p.m. Oct. 1 on suspicion of retail theft and resisting arrest for allegedly stealing four bottles of Vodka and bottle of Tequilla from The Fresh Market, 15895 W. Bluemound Rd.

Burning violation: An 84-year-old woman was warned for burning yard waste on the wrong day in the yard of the home in the 13400 block of Richard Rd. She told police she forgot on which days she was allowed to burn.

Suspicious limo: A woman in the 900 block of South Bobolink Drive reported Oct. 1 that the previous day a black limo had pulled up in front of the house and some children and an adult got out and pressured the woman’s children, who were playing in the front yard, to get into the limo but they didn’t. One of her children recognized one of the children in the limo as possibly being someone who rode the school bus.

Suspicious whippets: A man reported finding a box of 50 empty whip cream chargers scattered in the middle of Deer Park Road in the 17100 block Oct. 1. He picked them up and threw them away.

Gun theft: A 48-year-old woman in the 14200 block of Newell Drive said she recently discovered that her black semi-automatic handgun was stolen from her bedroom sometime since February. The gun was not registered; she said she bought it 20 years ago.

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The above items are from reports from local police departments. In all incidents where an arrest occurred, a charge is merely an accusation and not evidence of guilt. The arrested person is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.