Haines City Police have arrested a man who used a stolen bulldozer to destroy democratic campaign signs on several lawns as the residents watched.
James Blight was busted Saturday and charged with grand theft auto and trespassing after the destructive raid he launched at the central Florida neighborhood whose residents are largely Black.
“This man came onto my property, took the two Joe Biden signs I had in my yard, and then came back with a bulldozer to run down my fence,” Former vice Mayor Adam Burgess, who lives in the neighborhood, said.
The 26-year-old was reportedly impaired when he bulldozed the fences, according to police. He also shoved down a speed limit sign in the process.
“Blight told police that he had been drinking whiskey all day and did not remember most of the day.”
“It’s absurd that a grown man could think he had the right to destroy someone else’s property based on a difference in political opinion.”
“The fact that he was driving this heavy equipment, that he did not know how to operate, down busy roads could have been disastrous. We’re thankful that no one was hurt in this matter.”
