Titusville mayoral candidate accused of stealing opponent's campaign signs

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Published  October 29, 2024 7:54pm EDT
FOX 35 Orlando
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Candidate accused of stealing opponent's signs

A Titusville mayor candidate is under investigation for allegedly stealing her opponent’s campaign signs. The State Attorney’s Office confirmed on Tuesday to FOX 35 News that both Vickie Conklin and her campaign manager, Earl Johnson Jr., are being charged with petit theft relating to the incident.

TITUSVILLE, Fla. - A Titusville mayor candidate is under investigation for allegedly stealing her opponent’s campaign signs. 

The State Attorney’s Office confirmed on Tuesday to FOX 35 News that both Vickie Conklin and her campaign manager, Earl Johnson Jr., are being charged with petit theft relating to the incident.  

It unfolded at the Titusville Library, which is an early voting location and jam-packed with election signs all over the grass. 

Titusville Police said Conklin took down two of her opponent’s signs and admitted to it on body camera video. Police released the entire interaction with both Conklin, her campaign manager and a witness on Tuesday. At one point during the questioning, Conklin showed officers where she found the signs she said weren't hers and were close to her tent. 

"I looked at it was like holy smokes. There was no identification on it. Who put this up?," said Conklin during the bodycam interview. 

Titusville police said the signs were put up by her opponent, Andrew Connors.

"It’s extremely troubling to us that our agency has been thrown into this mess," said Titusville’s police chief, John Lau. 

Lau said a photo taken by a witness was a main piece of evidence in their investigation. The chief said the picture showed Conklin holding a hammer wearing a name tag. He said it was taken by a person who allegedly saw her removing the signs overnight at the library and confronted her. 

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"This independent person said she was out destroying the signs," said Lau. 

In the interview with officers, they say Conklin admitted to taking down the signs.

"I thought this shouldn’t stay, so I pulled it down because it’s not me. It’s in my space," said Conklin during the interview recorded on bodycam. 

She said the signs she removed had pictures of her on them, she didn’t authorize. 

FOX 35’s Esther Bower asked Connors about that.

"I made a sign listing my opponents' endorsement from the Democratic Party pulled from their social media. Then I made a sign showing my endorsement from the local sheriff," said Andrew Connors. 

At this point, the signs that were removed haven’t been found.

FOX 35 did reach out to Conklin for comment on what happened and to get her side of the story.

She told us she had not been contacted by anyone about this and would issue a statement when she found out more. 

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