Charges had not been filed Wednesday, but Wonch Hill was told to appear in court in the case next month.

Sands said the damage to property — estimated at $100 — went beyond free speech expression. Wonch Hill, she said, is being looked at in other open vandalism cases.

Following criticism on social media that police tested stickers from the vandalism for fingerprints, Sands defended the officers and said they followed protocol in property crime cases.

"The amount of loss doesn’t matter," she said.

If an officer has permission to fingerprint and can lift usable prints from a property crime scene, the officers will do so.

Last year, they sent nearly 2,700 fingerprints to the department's analysts and made 920 identifications in cases ranging from theft and vandalism to murder, Sands said.

Wonch Hill didn't respond to a request for comment.

An online fundraiser purporting to raise money for Wonch Hill's defense had received nearly $1,500 in donations by Wednesday afternoon.

Any leftover funds, according to the campaign, will be used to pay for similar signs mocking Fortenberry.