Avon Lake Man Stole 500 Yard Signs Because "They Were Distracting"

By Colton Faull on Fri, Jun 23, 2017 at 11:14 am

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Photo courtesy of Avon Lake Police

Stolen yard signs from Avon Lake yards found stacked and neatly arranged.

Avon Lake Police arrested 62-year-old John Hoelzel yesterday, after he was caught on video removing a legally set up yard sign.

And it turns out, this wasn't the man's first time stealing a yard sign. Over the past several months, police had received multiple complaints from Avon Lake residents about signs disappearing from their lawns.

More than 500 signs, to be exact.

When police discovered the signs, valued over $5,500, they were all together, neatly stacked and arranged at Hoelzel's residence. According to Avon Police, Hoelzel said he removed them because he felt they were distracting to drivers in the neighborhood.

Now, not all of the signs were posted up legally, but "a majority were there with proper approval," Fox 8 Cleveland reported.

Hoelzel was charged and released on a $1000 bond. He'll have to appear in court next week.