Hillsboro?s missing political signs resurfaced Thursday, but it?s still a mystery as to how or who took them.
More than 350 political signs were dropped off between 11 p.m. Wednesday and 3 a.m. Thursday when Pat Kinning, the police chief?s wife, spotted them 10 feet from the front door of their home in Hillsboro.
The signs, which disappeared all over town on election morning (Aug. 3), were returned practically to the Kinning?s doorstep and were separated, grouped and neatly bundled according to the name of each politician, said Police Chief Dan Kinning.
?I don?t believe the signs were taken in the spirit of theft,? Kinning said Thursday afternoon. ?I think those responsible didn?t realize the consequences of what they were doing.?
Kinning speculated that when the Free Press article was published last week, whoever gathered the signs may not have been aware what they did was considered criminal theft.
None of the signs were damaged, Kinning said, and he could only theorize why the signs were taken.
?Maybe someone thought they were a blight on the landscape or maybe whoever took them planned to call the owners (after the election) and give them back,? he said.
Prior to the election, Kinning said the most common complaints he heard about yard signs were how much they cluttered up the landscape and how they could be a distraction to motorists.
He also said he thought the missing signs were more than a childish prank because they were taken ?rather quickly? and that required planning.
Although he cannot speak for any of the politicians whose signs were taken, Kinning doesn?t believe any of them will pursue charges.
Either way, Kinning would like to talk to those who were involved in the disappearance of the signs and find out what the motive was for taking them.
Until then, the investigation is continuing, he said.
As for the signs, Kinning said he called local candidates to let them know the signs were recovered and could be picked up at the police station.
Anyone with information about the signs being removed Monday, Aug. 2, or early in the morning Aug. 3, should contact Kinning to 620-947-3440.
