By JONATHAN ZWEYGARDT
Hays Post

Ellis County officials are trying to put a stop to the ongoing problem of vandalism to signs within the county.

According to Public Works Director Bill Ring, there were 22 reports of sign vandalism in May, which cost the county more than $900 in labor, equipment and materials.

Ring said, for their purposes, vandalism is described as any damage not thought to be the result of age.

“When they are missing, it’s vandalism. If they’re intentionally run over, it’s vandalism. There’s a lot of hit and runs,” he said.

Ellis County Sign Technician Larry Rohr told the commission there were three reports of vandalism last weekend alone.

Rohr and Ring presented the commission with three examples of the sign damage seen throughout the county. One of the signs had been hit by a piece of farm equipment. Ring said Road and Bridge crews have, in the past, witnessed farmers intentionally ramming signs.

Ring said the sheriff’s department can arrest people caught in the act of stealing or damaging county signs.

“If they would be lucky enough to catch somebody in the act, they will arrest them and charge them accordingly,” said Ring. “That’s tough to do because the county’s very large and the limited amount of people.”

Anyone caught with signs can also be charged with possession of stolen property.

Rohr said they encourage people to report the theft or destruction and contact officials if they notice a sign is damaged or missing.

County Commissioner Marcy McClelland said “it is a safety factor too, for the rest of the public.”

If a stop sign is missing, Ring said officials with the sheriff’s office or the Hays Police Department will help direct traffic until Public Works officials are able to put a temporary sign in place.

“It’s been enough to damage or steal another sign, but if you steal this sign (a stop sign),” Ring said, “and one of your loved ones goes through that intersection not realizing that they should have stopped and they get T-boned, it could be a bad outcome.”