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McCook Gazette

Here's your sign -- Man arrested for selling stolen state signs on Internet

Thursday, May 7, 2009
Nebraska State Patrol
A 'man sale' garage sale listing on Craigslist wound up getting a Lincoln man in hot water. (Nebraska State Patrol).

LINCOLN -- A Lincoln, Nebraska man was cited by the Nebraska State Patrol, with Possession of Road Signs, after placing an ad for a garage sale on the internet site Craigslist.

42-year-old Bradley Hillhouse, of 8040 South 37th Street, Lincoln, Nebraska was cited after troopers with the Nebraska State Patrol confiscated 47 road signs from a garage sale at his home. The signs were confiscated after 8:00 a.m., Thursday, May 07, 2009.

Officers were led to the sale by an ad placed on the popular internet site Craigslist. The ad described a "Man Sale". Among the items pictured for sale were road signs.

"The taking of road signs is not a trivial offense," said Field Services Commander, Major Russ Stanczyk. "By removing road signs, the lives of the motoring public could be placed in danger."

The 47 confiscated signs were both state and city road signs and contained, stop, yield, railroad crossing, speed and directional signs.

Stanczyk said, "I don't think anyone would want to be responsible for a deadly crash. We would hope anyone who thinks this is a fun thing to do, would think twice about the potential consequences of their actions."

The Lincoln Police Department also confiscated six signs from Hillhouse.

The investigation into how Hillhouse gained possession of the signs continues. Possession of Road Signs is a Class II Misdemeanor, punishable by up to six months in jail, a $1,000 fine or both.

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  • Saw a judge up in Eastern Washington correct a sign stealer.

    Student had about 20 signs.

    Judge sentenced him to pay the maximum fine on each sign.

    OR --

    Stand 24 hours at a location where a sign of each type found in the student's possession had been stolen. Heavy traffic hours only -- two hour shifts, which mean morning and evening commutte hours for two hours each for three days -- per sign. At his feet, a large sign proclaiming his crime and the entire sentence.

    A law enforcement officer had to certify the duty was performed. Standing prominently, holding the sign overhead or at least chest high.

    The kid was at one location or another in that county every morning and every evening for two months.

    -- Posted by HerndonHank on Fri, May 8, 2009, at 5:55 AM
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