Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect that the billboard has been taken down, per the city's request.

The effort to spread awareness and get the scoop on the so-called mystery pooper in Ypsilanti has irritated city officials working to catch the culprit.

Adams Outdoor Advertising owns the digital billboard on Interstate 94 near the South Huron Street exit that has been displaying three messages since Thursday afternoon encouraging to public to push the defecating delinquent from their midst.

General manager Todd McWilliams said his company took the initiative to design and post the signs after an employee saw a news report about the mystery pooper and brought it up in the office.

“The goal would be that someone would call the police if they know, or to at least scare the person into stopping,” McWilliams said.

Ypsilanti City Manager Ralph Lange said that the company did not consult with anyone from city administration before posting the billboards.

“We’re not authorizing it and we don’t need it,” Lange said.

“We have a person of interest in the case, it’s an ongoing investigation and we’re closing in on that individual.”

According to the Detroit Free Press, Adams Outdoor Advertising agreed to take down the billboard Friday afternoon, per the city's request.

City and police officials recently expressed concern about repeated instances of feces being left on a children's slide at Prospect Park. Officials have discovered feces on the slide so frequently that police installed a hidden camera to try to capture an image of the act.

McWilliams said that his company regularly works with local and national authorities to help solve crimes where the public’s input is wanted.

“We do Amber Alerts and FBI alerts also,” he said.

“This is obviously not at the same level as that by any stretch, but we have done things that have helped catch criminals in the past and it only takes about 20 minutes to get something up so why not.”

The three rotating ads tell locals to “Do your civic doody, report the pooper,” “Help us flush the pooper” and “Help us catch the poopetrator.”

The hashtag #ypsipooper is also prominently displayed on each advertisement, and McWilliams said the topic has already generated a lot of activity on Twitter. Ypsilanti Area Convention and Visitors Bureau executive director Debbie Locke-Daniel said she thought the signs were humorous and hoped that they would help catch the serial soiler.

“Ypsilanti is a unique community. It has a big variety of people and divergent types. It’s one of the things that makes it an interesting town,” she said.

“I’ve come to appreciate that diversity of types, so this doesn’t really bother me. My guess is whoever did it really wants to get the person. It’s definitely making fun, but I think they do really want to catch them.”

Police are continuing to investigate. If you have any additional information regarding the 'mystery pooper,' please contact Detective Sergeant Tom Eberts at 734-482-9878 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-SPEAKUP (773-2587).

Ben Freed is a general assignments reporter for The Ann Arbor News. Email him at benfreed@mlive.com and follow him on twitter at @BFreedinA2. He also answers the phone at 734-623-2528.