Advertisement UNL professor cited for vandalizing political signs

A University of Nebraska Lincoln professor was cited for vandalizing political signs.Patricia A. Wonch-Hill, 38, was cited Tuesday for vandalizing U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer’s office and U.S. Rep. Jeff Fortenberry’s signs.Police said on Oct. 21, 2018, Lincoln police investigated the three instances of vandalism. Two political signs and a glass office door were vandalized. The estimated replacement cost of the political signs was $100. "The Lincoln Police Department forensic unit analyzed the signs and stickers left behind and found Wonch-Hill's fingerprints at all three scenes," Lincoln police Officer Angela Sands said.Their investigation isn't over yet, according to Sands."We have other vandalisms we are looking into to see if she was involved or not."In an email, Wonch-Hill said two officers met her at a parking lot when she returned from lunch and gave her a ticket.She went to the courthouse after work to figure out what the citation was for.She was told one allegation showed $1 in damages to a door where stickers were allegedly placed.She said she has learned more about the charges from news media on Wednesday, than police."Let me be clear, I have never destroyed any property. I look forward to my day in court when the burden will be on local authorities to prove I did," Wonch-Hill said."It seems to me that the only damage done here is to Jeff 'Fartenberry's' ego and unfortunately (to) the victims of real crime in Lincoln who deserve the resources that 'Fartenberry' and investigators wasted on this," Wonch-Hill said.Last spring Wonch-Hill was fined $94 for spraying fake blood on the home of a National Rifle Association lobbyist in Virginia.In a statement, UN-L spokesperson Leslie Reed said: "We do not condone vandalism. However, this is a personal legal matter based on actions of a faculty member on their own time, and they will have to take accountability for their actions based on the outcome of the legal process."Reed said that the University's bylaws clearly state: "Staff members who violate laws prescribed by civil authorities may incur penalties attached to such laws. The University should not impose sanctions to duplicate the function of these laws."That doesn't sit well with state Republican leaders."This is not just petty property crime. This, is in fact, an attempt by someone trying to silence conservative viewpoints in the state," Nebraska Republican Party spokesman Matthew Trail said.State Sen. Mike Groene, the chairman of the Legislature's Education Committee, said if Wonch-Hill worked for any other business, she would be fired."If your actions in your personal life reflect badly on the institution you work for, you're let go," Groene said."I expect more from my employees at the University and they are my employees. I am a taxpayer like all Nebraskans are," Groene said.