Democratic Party candidate court vandalized and political signs stolen

The sheriff’s office continues its investigation

CLYDE – It was after midnight when the sound of a loud truck engine, very close to her house, startled Dianne Selvey. When she turned on the porch lights, most of her political campaign signs were gone and deep tire ruts ran across her yard.

Selvey believes this is more than an attempt at voter intimidation, as she is also the Democratic Party’s nominee for 88 state representative.^th District.

It was Sunday morning, October 6, and it was the third time his street signs had been stolen. This would be the second time she filed a report with the Sandusky County Sheriff’s Office.

“It seemed the same to me. Plus, it was the exact same time of day,” she said. “The first time it happened it was 12:30 a.m. and the next time it was 12:40 a.m..”

Selvey did not have camera footage to prove it. The sheriff’s deputy who came to the scene recommended that he install surveillance cameras. She has them now.

“She showed me the tire marks in her lawn and the damage to political signs. At the edge of the lawn near the mailbox there was dirt and grass torn from the tire tracks,” the deputy wrote in the official incident report.

Selvey had about a dozen political candidate signs posted on his lawn. Most were stolen and the rest were overturned. One was a 3-by-5-foot Harris/Walz sign.

“The first time they did it, it almost sounded like thunder when they took down my big sign,” Selvey said. “I ran over there and my Kamala Harris sign was gone, and the poles that it was on, they bent them to the point where I couldn’t use them anymore.”

She then walked down the street to her brother’s house. His signs were also gone.

“Then they came back later that night, when I woke up later that morning, after talking to the deputy, and I tell you, I received very good service from the Department of sheriff,” Selvey said. “They were very friendly and thorough, I can’t say enough good things about them. He kind of thought it seemed to be directed at me. I woke up the next morning and all other signs were gone. They came back.

The smaller signs disappeared during the second wave of thefts. The first reported case dates back to September 22 and the second to October 6.

Selvey considers this bullying and she doesn’t think it’s acceptable in a democratic society.

“It’s pretty much the opposite of what we’re supposed to be,” Selvey said. “I feel like it’s voter intimidation, that’s for sure. Candidate (intimidation), it’s hard to say. The first time they did it, they also caught my brother and the lady down the street. We don’t know their motives, but the last time they did it, no one but me had it.

All three are supporters of the Democratic Party.

She says she’s not worried about his safety.

“I think what you’re going to find is that other people are going to come forward,” she said, adding that publishing her story doesn’t scare her. “They’re harassing me, they’ve taken my signs, I know another woman who lives in the country, and they’re stealing her signs as fast as they can put them out.

She knows other people in Sandusky County whose signs have been stolen.

A friend also took a screenshot of a Facebook post, which has happened since the sign-stealing incidents began, she said, referring to her.

“Write down the address, if they come into office and we can’t afford to eat, at least we’ll have a list of people who don’t own guns… lol, just kidding, don’t report me!” the user wrote.

Other posts in the discussion continue with suggestions for continuing with other types of vandalism.

Selvey added: “99% of Republicans don’t do that,” Selvey said. “What they need to do is say, ‘That’s not who we are.’ We do not accept this. We don’t think you’re cool. We are not going to give you a participation prize for this. They can definitely stop it quicker than me.

She notes that she must now lock her doors and have a surveillance camera.

“I don’t know what would motivate them to do that. Maybe it’s to show me that they can do it? Maybe it’s to keep me quiet? Selvey spoke about his candidacy. “But if they think this is going to stop me, they are very wrong.”

Sheriff Chris Hilton assigned an officer to continue the investigation and additional patrols were put in place.

“I don’t want to say the deputies know, but their experience tells them it wasn’t a traffic accident,” said Maj. Nick Kotsopoulous of the Sandusky County Sheriff’s Office. “It seemed to them like it was on purpose, which is a different thing, when you start driving through someone’s yard. It’s another level. It’s different from getting out of a car and flying a sign.”

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