A homeless man stole a backhoe from a construction site in Polk County, Florida over the weekend and took Biden campaign signs while driving the machinery through a Haines City neighborhood in Florida.
After stealing the backhoe, James Blight drove through the neighborhood to the home of former Vice Mayor of Haines City, Adam Burgess, according to Fox 13.
A man is arrested in Haines city over the weekend after he drives a backhoe through a fence, steals Biden signs, and rampages through the neighborhood. pic.twitter.com/HNsEz5WIuB
— FOX 13’s Ken Suarez (@kensuarez2) October 26, 2020
Once at Burgess’s house, Blight exited the backhoe and stole multiple Biden signs from Burgess’s front yard, reports Fox 13. (RELATED: SCIENCE: Your Campaign Yard Sign Has Very Little Effect)
Blight was later charged with grand theft auto and trespassing after police found Blight driving the backhoe after the incident, according to NBC 2.
“Blight told police that he had been drinking whiskey all day and did not remember most of the day,” Mike Ferguson, public information officer for Haines City Police, said to NBC. After the incident, police said that Blight did not seem impaired when interacting with detectives.
Burgess claimed that the incident was caused by President Donald Trump’s rhetoric, according to WCBD News 2.
Burgess said, “It emboldens people that are racist and that are biased and that think that they are superior to other groups of people based on the color of their skin.”