CLAY COUNTY – A man is accused of taking signs belonging to two school board candidates near Keystone Heights earlier this month. According to a Clay County Sheriff’s Office arrest report, four signs belonging to incumbents Tina Bullock and Janice Kerekes were taken from where they were placed near County road 315C and Long Pond Drive.

The report said two of the signs had Apple Air-Tags that told a user the location of the sign. Cameras placed near the sign showed a man taking the signs from a private property on Aug. 6 around 10:12 a.m.

The report said a deputy found the missing signs near Melrose and returned them to the candidates at 12:53 p.m. The identity of the man driving the truck was not released. The report referred to the man receiving petty theft and trespassing charges, both misdemeanors.

Kerekes said that constructing and installing signs is costly and requires volunteer hours. The Kerekes campaign claimed at least 15 signs have been removed from their original placement.

“ … We were alerted that some of our signs were on the move in the Keystone area. Upon opening the GPS tracking app we were shocked to see the signs driving south on CR-315 into the Melrose area near Sunnybrook Road.

“After notifying the sheriff’s office, deputies responded and were able to locate and retrieve the stolen signs which were found still in the back of the suspect’s truck. Thank you to the Clay County Sheriff’s Office for their quick and professional response to this matter,” Kerekes said in a statement.

The investigation is ongoing.