The large signpost that stands by the road on the property of the Sam Ault Arena – complete with a digital sign to announce Township events – was badly damaged late last week.
One of the legs of the sign was bent wildly out of shape in the incident, causing the towering sign to lean over precariously. Caution tape was placed around the sign after the damage was discovered, likely to deter further tampering and as a precaution in case the sign were to fall over completely.
A Township official contacted by the Times did not have an official cause of the incident, but police investigations can take time to complete, particularly for incidents that occur in the dead of night.
Winchester resident Amanda, who wishes to be identified only by her first name, witnessed the damage being done to the sign.
“Someone in a truck did a burnout, leaving the Arena heading east on Main Street,” she told the Times. “[The truck] lost control and hit the sign… backed up and took off.”
Amanda explained that doing burnouts on the Arena property is not uncommon. “It’s not out of the norm for people to do that, this one just ended up bad,” she said. “He or she hit the pole so hard it felt like they hit our house. It shook our place so bad that even my other half jumped out of bed.”
Any updates shared by the OPP will be communicated in the next issue.
