Former Franklin Regional school director held for court on political sign theft charges
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A judge on Thursday rejected a defense argument that a former Franklin Regional school director was removing “litter” by taking campaign signs from a Hempfield intersection.
Defense attorney Jack Manderino argued that Gary English, 65, of Murrysville was enforcing a law that prohibits signs on state roads without permission.
“He was not committing thefts. He was essentially enforcing the law by simple vigilante justice,” Manderino said.
District Judge Joseph DeMarchis rejected the argument and ordered English be held for trial on three misdemeanor theft counts and a summary disorderly conduct offense.
“He’s not PennDOT. He’s not the township,” DeMarchis said.
English was charged by state police in June in connection with missing signs belonging to three candidates. The three signs, worth about $75, belonged to Bill Bretz, Jerry Radebaugh and Jay Anderson, all of whom testified during English’s preliminary hearing Thursday.
Troopers were notified April 5 of the situation at the intersection of McCabe Drive, Old Salem Road and Route 66 in Hempfield. Trooper Jacob Shearer testified there were 103 campaign signs missing from the Routes 66 and 30 corridors and side streets including North Greengate Road, but he received evidence pointing to English in connection with only three signs.
Witness Wilma Bohinc provided investigators with photographs of English at McCabe Drive and Old Salem Road on April 3 removing campaign signs and putting them into a Toyota pickup, according to testimony. She said she saw him pick up more signs but toss them on the ground and leave after he saw her taking photographs.
“The last batch he just threw on the ground,” Bohinc testified. “He was loading them into the truck until he saw us.”
One of the photographs showed the pickup’s license plate. Shearer said the truck was registered to English.
Anderson, Radebaugh and Bretz all testified that either they or their political action committee purchased the signs and that they intended to collect them after the primary election.
Bretz and Radebaugh won Republican nominations for Hempfield supervisor and school director, respectively, during the May primary, according to election returns. Anderson did not win a Republican nomination for township tax collector. None of the men know the defendant.
Assistant District Attorney Tom Grace argued the signs were missing from township, not state, roads and that enforcement of items in the public right-of-way without permission is left up to PennDOT or local police, not individuals.
“Vigilante justice … has never been the law in Pennsylvania,” Grace said. “It wouldn’t justify taking unlawful control over other people’s property.”
English is free on $1,500 unsecured bond.
He is registered as a Republican and ran for Franklin Regional School Board in 2019. English served about 10 months as a school director in 2020 before resigning in October. He clashed with fellow board members on a range of issues, including procedure at meetings, the way public comment was handled during virtual sessions and how monthly bills were presented to the group.