By Regina Dennis

Tribune-Herald staff writer

Willie Nelson + Whiskey + Solitude = one big problem for McLennan County.

Street signs bearing these and other eye-catching names are often stolen or vandalized by pranksters throughout rural county areas. Officials say the increasing thefts endanger public safety and cost the county extra time and money to replace.

“I have one guy that that’s all he does is replace signs all day,” said Precinct 1 Commissioner Kelly Snell.

K.D. Davis tosses out vandalized traffic signs at the Precinct 1 barn. (Jerry Larson photo)

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A sign warns of a surveillance camera at Box Ranch Road in Moody. (Jerry Larson photo)

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What do you think is the worst thing about traffic sign theft/vandalism?

The time and money to replace signs 28.66% 145 The danger to the public 62.06% 314 Having to install security cameras 2.57% 13 Nothing, I "own" a few myself 6.72% 34

Snell said labor, fuel and sign replacement costs for Precinct 1 total $4,800 each month. Labor and sign materials costs have totaled $24,671 for Precinct 2 since October, Commissioner Lester Gibson said.

Snell plans to install surveillance cameras near certain “hot” street signs to catch sign snatchers in the act. Snell said he hopes to purchase one or two surveillance cameras to float around different hot spots throughout the county.

“Keeping the camera in one place isn’t going to do much to stop people, because they will know where not to go,” Snell said. “Plus, any problem I have is times four for the county, because it’s going on in all the precincts.”

Prime targets

Commissioner Joe Mashek said his road and bridge crew replaces nearly 25 signs each week, usually after weekend revelry by area teens. Willie Nelson Road in West has been one of the most sought after signs in his precinct.

“We’ve caught a couple of kids in the past stealing the signs and had their parents notified, because most of the time they’re just playing around and they don’t realize how serious this is,” Mashek said.

Liquor names make prime sign targets, such as Whiskey Hill Road in Axtell and Whiskey Hollow Road in West. Quirky street names like Dragon Lane in Lorena, Solitude Lane in West and Coyote Run near Hallsburg have also been vulnerable to theft.

K.D. Davis, who replaces signs in Precinct 1, knows certain signs will be missing at least once a week, such as the stop sign at the intersection of Box Shadow Lane and Old Bethany Road in Moody. The street sign for Horne Hill Road in Moody barely lasts a weekend before it disappears.

“A lot of times the signs that are last names come up missing a lot,” Davis said. “Winchester Drive is one, but that’s also because of John Winchester (one of the main character’s on CW Network’s ‘Supernatural’). Remington Circle, too, for people with that name.”

Rural vs. city thefts

Gibson lamented that there seems to be less regard for street signs in rural areas compared to in the city, leaving rural street signs susceptible to theft, graffiti tagging and even target practice. He has also considered setting up surveillance cameras to track people spraying graffiti on street signs.

“I think there’s more respect for signs in city areas, and it just becomes a joke (to steal them) in rural areas,” Gibson said. “Once they are taken and someone has a heart attack and an ambulance not familiar with the area can’t find a street, it becomes the difference between life and death, and I don’t think people understand that.”

Rick Charlton, traffic services administrator for the city of Waco, said sign thefts have remained stagnant for several years now, deterred by secure sign fastening.

“However, it’s not a topic we aren’t concerned about,” Charlton said.

Commissioner Ray Meadows said sign thefts are currently not a problem in Precinct 4, though there are periods in the year when thefts do arise, particularly during football season.

Already, “surveillance” notices have been posted on signs throughout Precinct 1 to warn potential sign snatchers.

Snell said any person caught stealing a sign could be charged a fine for the cost of labor and materials to replace the sign.

“People think ‘Oh, it’s just a street sign,’ but if there’s someone who had a wreck and they call 9-1-1 and the operator asks them where they’re at and . . . there’s no street sign, they don’t know,” Snell said. “Or what if an ambulance is going to a house and it’s supposed to turn at a certain street, but the sign is missing and it passes it?”

rdennis@wacotrib.com

757-5755