Ontario man charged after destroying election signs, says he ‘didn’t care’ which ones: police

TORONTO — A 47-year-old Kingston, Ont. man allegedly told police he “didn’t care” which election signs he damaged after going on an sign-destroying spree in the city.

A Kingston police officer on patrol found the man knocking down an election sign at about 4:45 a.m. ET on Sir John A. Macdonald Boulevard and Norman Rogers Drive on Friday.

Police said the man’s behaviour was “erratic” while the officer watched him kicking and throwing a sign. The officer then approached and identified the man as a local resident.

The man was allegedly “blaming one politician for having an agenda against him,” but the officer pointed out he had destroyed an election sign for another federal party as well.

Police said the man “didn’t care” and then indicated that he had destroyed multiple signs on the same road.

The man was allegedly given the opportunity to put the signs he had knocked down back up, but he refused and said he intended to continue destroying them, police said.

Police arrested the man and he was charged with mischief under $5,000 and placed in police custody for a bail hearing, as police said he indicated he would not show up to court on a promise to appear.

Const. Steve Koopman said numerous election signs had been tampered with in Kingston recently, but that this was an unusual case.

“We actually had the offices of all three major constituencies damaged though too in the last month, either with hammer or rocks being thrown at the glass of the windows of each office,” he said.

“We don’t believe this male to be related to the others at this point and time.”