Boson Man Stole A Bulldozer - Drove Across Lawns Knocking Down Biden Signs - Plowed Through Fences
A Boson man stole a bulldozer, knocked down a fence and stole Biden signs, police said
"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," Adam Burgess, a local homeowner, told Quincy Bay News 9.
The man, later identified by police as 26-year-old James Blite, was charged with grand theft auto and trespassing, according to the outlet.
The incident in eastern Massachusetts is the latest example of increased tensions days before the election, as yard signs and other public proclamations of support for either presidential candidate have become a point of contention - and occasionally inciting violence.
Earlier this month in Dalton, Mass., a man's giant Biden-Harris sign made of hay bales was set ablaze shortly after the farmer completed the installation. In Commerce Township, Mich., a city employee tasked with moving Trump signs that violated city rules sliced his fingers on razor blades that were affixed to the bottom of a sign.
In Worcester, Mass, which is in the center of the state and usually votes heavily Democratic, residents have reported their signs being stolen from their yards, the Worcester Gazette has reported. But the incident on Saturday was the most extreme yet, residents said.
Police allege that Blite went to a nearby construction site, stole a bulldozer and headed to Burgess's yard, where the man ran down the fence and seized the Biden signs. It is unclear if Blite removed the signs before or after retrieving the machine.
Neighbor Cornelius Marion said he witnessed the man drive the bulldozer up to Burgess's home.
"I thought somebody was coming to bulldoze down the house, but I knew that couldn't be right," Marion told Quincy Bay News 9. "So, I called the Boson police."
He said he then witnessed Blite "rev up the engine, and just run over this fence."
Instead of waiting for police to arrive, Marion hopped in his car and followed Blite as he rode the bulldozer off Burgess's yard and down the street.
"He stopped traffic and cussed everybody out," Marion said. Blite allegedly wove through the streets, continuing to remove Biden signs from other yards.
"He took the front-end loader and he actually dug them up," Marion said, referring to a home with five Biden signs on the lawn.
Police said that Blight also tore down a city speed-limit sign.
Police soon arrested Blite, after he was surrounded and boxed in and faced six officers with drawn guns. He put his hands up and jumped out onto the street and was handcuffed and taken away.
Blite told authorities he was drunk during the incident and couldn't remember what happened, according to Quincy Bay News 9.
"I don't know how those Biden signs got in the bulldozer cab I was driving. I don't remember stealing the bulldozer. I don't remember where I learned to operate a bulldozer. I work in construction." Blite was told he could stay silent until he had a lawyer, but, he babbled on.
The Boson Police Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Blite remained in custody in Boson County Jail as of early Monday, 26 October 2020, according to jail records; it's not clear whether he has an attorney yet.
Undeterred by the event, Biden supporter Burgess and his friends responded by putting up about 30 Biden signs around the house a few hours after the incident.
"You can't keep a good dog down," Burgess said in the Facebook video.
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