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Last updated on Monday, February 23, 2015
(BLOOMINGTON) - No charges will be filed against Democratic Precinct Committee Woman Pamela Davidson, who is accused of removing political yard signs and was arrested for theft in October.
Special Prosecutor Stanley Levco says no charges will be filed because of the confusion of who owned the signs and because Pamela Davidson has vowed not to remove any more political yard signs. Also there was confusion over whether the case warrants the cost of pursuing a criminal case.
Levco says Davidson was cooperative and regretted her actions. Levco did not determine that Davidson committed a crime and decided the case did not have prosecutorial merit.
Police say 35-year-old Davidson was facing theft charges after she removed a least a dozen anti-Democrat signs along roadsides in Monroe County.
Davidson was seen by local law enforcement taking down the election signs urging people to vote Republican along State Road 46 near Ellettsville. The officer saw Davidson putting the signs in the trunk of her vehicle before pulling her over.
Davidson told police she took down the sign because it was leaning against a state highway sign and it was littering to leave the sign.
Davidson was on the west side of Indiana State Road 46 near Ellettsville when she saw one of the advertisements leaning against a state highway sign.
Davidson says all of the signs she removed were on public property near the intersection of State Road 46 and Curry Pike, where it is illegal to post them and none of the signs had the name of any candidate on them.
The signs Davidson took were paid for by the Take Back Monroe County Political Action Committee, which is organized by Grassroots Conservatives. Grassroots officials say of the 2,000 signs displayed by the organization throughout the county, more than 100 of them are currently missing.
Davidson says the officer was confused about how to handle the situation and had to call and check to see if she was even committing a violation. A report was filed with the County Sheriff's Department, but Davidson was not fined or charged with a crime.
Posting advertising signs, signals or devices -- like the Republican advertisements taken by Davidson -- are not to be posted in right-of-way areas interstates and intersections where local, state or federal roads cross with a state or federal highway, according to the Indiana District of Transportation and upheld by Indiana Code.
Davidson says she was just upholding the law.
But police say that even if Davidson believes she was upholding the law, the law clearly states only an authority having jurisdiction over the highway can remove the signs.
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