Dustin B Levy

dlevy@eveningsun.com

A Paradise Township couple might have to consider building a wall.

After four of their lawn signs supporting presidential candidate Donald Trump have been stolen, Karen Kocher and Donald Peters, owners of Sun Auto Sales who are getting married next month, put up two homemade signs saying, “You can steal our signs but you can’t steal our votes.”

“It just kind of ticked us off that they stole our signs to begin with, and that’s just how I felt,” Kocher said.

Four lawn signs, purchased from the Donald J. Trump website, had sat on the couple's property for about a week before they vanished a few weeks ago. The couple was angry at first before deciding to make a striking statement to the neighborhood, according to Kocher’s daughter Elizabeth Mann.

The signs complemented two signs in the windows of the Kocher and Peters’ home: one that reads “Veterans for Trump” and another that claims, “the silent majority stands with Trump.” They also own a golf cart from Trump National Golf Club bought five years ago.

“Who would have known,” Kocher said in a Facebook post regarding Trump’s candidacy.

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In true Trump style, Kocher and Peters fought back with their new signs, two 4-by-8 pieces of plywood painted baby blue with the standard "Make America Great Again" lawn sign plastered in the center. When working in the lawn, Kocher said she heard about 50 honks for the signs, which overlook Lincoln Highway.

However, even that didn’t halt the disappearing act. One of the large plywood signs was found in a retention pond last weekend down the road from the couples’ house.

“We fished it out and put it back up,” Mann said.

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Peters and Kocher contacted the police on both occasions, and, since they paid for the signs, police said theft charges could be pressed if they found who was responsible, said Mann. According to Mann, police advised using a trail camera that takes photographs when it senses motion as long as they made people aware of its existence, and the couple complied.

“Smile you’re on camera,” reads a sign in between the two homemade plywood ones. The camera was placed among trees by Kocher and Peters' home, aimed down at the sign so it doesn't film another home in the neighborhood.

“If they decided to come back, we will get a nice picture of them,” Mann said. The camera was not functioning the night the plywood sign was taken.

Northern York County Regional Police Department confirmed they received a report from Kocher on April 10 about the theft. However, the department does not get many reports of incidents like this, Lieutenant David Lash said.

People who have their political signs stolen should make sure they continue to report to police, Lash said.

To prevent further thievery, Kocher set up "booby traps," including a cowbell and an alarm that goes off when adjusting the 4-by-8 piece of plywood.

Mann guessed the person responsible for the thefts could be someone scared of a Trump presidency or “kids acting up.” She also pointed out the culprits could be Trump supporters stealing the signs to put up in their own yards.

“If they would have stopped and asked, we probably would have gave them one,” Mann said.

Peters, Kocher and Mann refuse to be discouraged by the sign thefts and plan to show their excitement at the polls on Tuesday. Peters and Kocher attended the Trump rally in Harrisburg on Thursday night, where Kocher was planning on bringing a photo of the placards for Trump to sign.

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Mann listed many reasons for her family’s Trump support, including his business acumen and lack of funds from political action committees and lobbyists.

“The country needs to be run like a business, and no one can argue Donald Trump is not a wonderful businessman,” Mann said.

Kocher and Peters evidently agree with the sentiment, as their relentless spirit reflects the controversial campaign of the New York businessman.

“I’m still voting for Trump no matter how many signs they steal,” Kocher said.

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