Duanesburg man involved in campaign sign theft | News

Michael Coleman, 59, was slapped with the misdemeanor charge at a state police station in Princetown.

State police spokesperson Stephanie O’Neil said she could not provide any further details about his arrest at this time.

“The investigation is still pending, so I cannot release anything further,” O’Neil said in an email.

The charges come after Schenectady County Republican Committee Chairman Thomas Kennedy alleged Trooper Jonathan Quinn testified that Coleman stole signs at least twice at the corner of Herrick Road and Courtney Drive in early November. This included two signs for state Assembly candidate Joseph Mastroianni, a sign for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and a sign against the Equal Rights Amendment.

Such allegations are based on hidden camera footage recorded near the road intersection, Kennedy said. The device was attached to a tree in the 11th hour of the campaign season, after signs at the same location had disappeared for a month, Kennedy said.

Night vision footage of the location obtained by the Daily Gazette Family of Newspapers shows a person leaning down and grabbing an object overnight on Nov. 4. The next day, a person was captured leaning over in a similar area, collectively holding a sign. support for Trump, vice presidential candidate JD Vance and US Senate candidate Michael Sapraicone.

The nighttime footage is difficult to decipher, while the daytime video shows a person allegedly resembling Coleman, Kennedy claimed after speaking to neighbors.

“It was our camera and we were watching the signs,” Kennedy claimed, referring to the Schenectady County Republican Committee. “We took it and we got it again the next day.”

According to additional footage provided to Kennedy by an alleged witness in the area, a woman says it is “…actually very illegal to take down signs” while someone is entering a vehicle.

The Daily Gazette Family of Newspapers is withholding the identity of the alleged witness. She provided additional testimony for state police.

Coleman, who has lived in the area for two years, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The future investigation into Coleman will be conducted by the Schenectady County Sheriff’s Office.

Sign theft has been a point of contention for candidates on both sides of the aisle during this presidential election in the Capital Region.

“What happened was we lost hundreds of signals this year,” Kennedy said. “It was so bad when I was putting out the signs for election night that two hours later I would go back – gone.”

This election season, Kennedy assisted Mastrioianni, who allegedly stole a mailer from his opponent, Assembly member Angelo Santabarbara, at a Scotia residence in mid-October. Doorcam footage of that incident was released by the Schenectady County Democratic Committee.

Mastroianni, who ultimately lost 62% of the vote to Santabarbara against 37.8%, was charged with petty theft by village police after the election. He has resisted calls to resign from his position in Rotterdam’s municipal council.

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