Police: Man Charged After Trying to Steal Road Sign, Foot Chase

A Loganville man who claimed he was out for a stroll while trying to drag away a road construction sign from a Decatur work site was charged by police after a short chase.

According to the Decatur Police blog, officers were called about 2:30 a.m. on July 9 to East Ponce de Leon Avenue and Clairemont Avenue on a report of a theft in progress. Officers were told a man was attempting to steal a road construction sign from the work site. An officer talked with the suspect, who told police he was out for a walk.

The suspect then fled on foot, a brief chase ensued and the 24-year-old suspect was taken into custody.

The complainant said he was working for a cable company and saw the suspect take a large orange "Men Working" sign used to alert oncoming traffic of the work crew’s presence.

The complainant called police and followed the suspect for about two blocks as he reportedly tried to drag the sign from the scene. The suspect then dropped the sign in the 200 block of East ponce de Leon Avenue and fled. The worker said he returned the sign to the work area and the suspect also returned to the site as the police arrived.

While the contractor didn’t want to pursue charges for the theft of the sign, the suspect was charged with obstruction of a law enforcement officer.