Posted on 09/07/2026 5:54:22 PM PDT by Red Badger
A conservative-leaning independent candidate in Columbus, Georgia, got tired of watching his campaign signs vanish. He hid Apple AirTags inside them.
The trackers did not ping a dumpster or a random yard. They led straight to the home of a well-known local reverend and her husband, a retired Columbus State University educator.
Stephen Acorn is running as an Independent write-in against longtime Democrat incumbent Debbie Buckner for Georgia House District 137.
After signs kept disappearing near Matthews Elementary School and County Line Road, Acorn cut open replacements, slipped AirTags inside, and waited.
“I feel like I outsmarted the perpetrator,” Acorn told NowGeorgia.com, which first reported the story.
Within 24 hours, Acorn received an alert showing that two of the signs were moving.
The tracking devices eventually led Acorn and police to the residence of retired Columbus State educator Richard Spencer Garrard and his wife, Rev. Dr. Cindy Cox Garrard.
According to the Columbus State University faculty catalog, Richard Garrard previously worked as a lecturer in middle-grades education. University archives also feature an oral-history interview covering his years as a student and faculty member at Columbus State.
Police responded to the couple’s home, where Garrard reportedly answered the door.
According to Acorn, the officer informed him that police knew the missing signs were at the residence and that they needed to be returned, or Acorn could press charges.
Four Acorn campaign signs were reportedly retrieved from the garbage at the residence and returned to the candidate.
Four signs!
The stunning footage resurfaced after Libs of TikTok shared the incident on X.
WATCH:
VIDEO AT LINK.....................
Cindy Garrard later appeared to accept responsibility for removing the signs while denying that her husband was involved.
Garrard also insisted she never removed a sign from private property.
In a statement to NowGeorgia, Garrard claimed she believed the signs had been illegally placed along a public right-of-way, so she removed them. She confirmed that the signs were later returned.
But here is where the story becomes even more outrageous.
More from NowGeorgia:
The write-in candidate shared election records showing Reverend Dr. Cindy Cox Garrard made a financial contribution to Debbie Buckner’s campaign. Acorn gave the couple several hours to apologize for the incident and said that he would keep their identities private. Acorn never got a response, so he uploaded a photo of Dr. Cindy Cox Garrard and her husband along with the caption “sign snatchers” to Facebook. Garrard posted beneath the photo “They” is me, not my husband. I never removed a sign from private property.”
When asked if he planned to pursue criminal charges Acorn responded “God shows us grace every single day and he commands us to do the same. It’s something I’m going to pray about.” He did submit an open records request for a copy of the body cam video of the responding police officer. Stealing campaign signs is a crime in Georgia punishable by up to 12 months in jail and a fine up to $1000.
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Flock cameras to finish ‘em off...
Pathetic that candidate supporters think stealing signs is a good idea.
First the voting population would have to know how to read.
“Yet 54% of U.S. adults read below the equivalent of a sixth-grade level, and 64% of our country’s fourth graders do not read proficiently.”—National Literacy Institute.
In 2023, 28% of US adults (from 16 to 65) performed at or below Level 1 in literacy, and 44% performed at Level 3 or above. —Brighterly.com
Adults scoring below Level 1 can comprehend simple sentences and short paragraphs with minimal structure but will struggle with multi-step instructions or complex sentences, while those at Level 1 can locate explicitly cued information in short texts, lists, or simple digital pages with minimal distractions but will struggle with multi-page texts and complex prose.
Showing results for Florida, US
In Florida, stealing political campaign signs is a criminal offense treated as petty theft or misdemeanor theft, punishable by up to 60 days in jail and a fine of up to $500 for signs valued under $100. If the stolen property exceeds this value or involves multiple incidents, charges can escalate to a felony with more severe penalties. Additionally, if signs are taken from private property, the act may also constitute burglary or trespassing. It is important to note that placing signs on state or county road rights-of-way is illegal under Florida Statute 106.1435, meaning such signs are not protected from removal by authorities, though private citizens may still face tampering charges.
AI-generated answer. Please verify critical facts.
Blacks??
Nope...she’s a white gal. Liberal and stupid.
Nope......One of the cops was......
POS was quick to throw the reverend and daughter under the freight train. Love it. Smarmy assclown.
If putting signs in illegal places such as state or county rights of way is punishable, then helping by removing these shouldn’t be against the law. So vigilantes who remove these are still in danger of arrest.
Must be same as ones put in front of supermarket and other tore lots in the grassy areas near the sidewalks. Have to wait 60 or 100 days for law enforcement to find time to get them—except they almost never do. We have apt. company signs all over the areas near the political ones. And others, too.
In addition, the felony conviction would include the lifetime loss of the right to vote. The perp should not enjoy the benefits he or she intended to deny others.
Campaign signs disappear.
When David Copperfield did stuff like that he got paid a fortune in Las Vegas.
Most of the educational system is full of grossly juvenile, self-centered, aberrant islamocommie profs and teachers.
The discouraging info, is that even after this theft and the lying which followed. the actual victim of this crime is not quite sure if he’s going to press charges. He says “I’ll need to pray about it” which usually means he will be Mr. Nice Guy and not prosecute. He needs to double down on the pushback. Don’t let them off so easily!
There’s your problem.
I guess her bible has only NINE COMMANDMENTS.............
I miss the good old days when campaign signs were protected from theft by direct current.
Well, her point about the signs being on public property might have some merit.
If she thought the signs were unlawfully placed, she should have contacted the authorities. She doesn’t get to just take the signs.
He’s way nicer than I would’ve been. Book ‘em Danno.
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