Charges: ‘Piles’ of stolen signs found in yard owned by state representative DFL candidate, wife

Krystal Frasier KSTP

Judd and Wendy Hoff. Credit: Douglas County Jail

A man running for state office, as well as his wife, have been formally charged in Douglas County for their alleged roles in a case involving the theft of hundreds of yard signs for events, rentals and politicians.

Court filings show 53-year-old Judd Hoff of Alexandria, who is running to represent District 12B against Republican Mary Franson, has been charged with one count of aiding and abetting theft, as well as one count of receiving stolen property. His wife, 50-year-old Wendy Hoff, has been charged with one count of theft.

Both Judd and Wendy were charged by warrant on Friday, one day after Alexandria police said they recovered more than 240 yard signs that they said were stolen over the course of several months. As of Monday morning, Hoff was listed as a candidate for District 12B on the Secretary of State’s website.

According to the complaints, police were called on July 31 for a report of stolen signs for the Interlachen Bazaar, whose organizer said 11 total signs valued at $422 were missing. Police said they then found multiple sign thefts had been reported in the Alexandria area since July 10, including ones for Adams REMAX Realty and “No Parking” signs from a local business.

The document goes on to say that security video from that same business showed a vehicle belonging to Wendy Hoff, which was seen days prior by an off-duty police officer, stopping at homes along East Golf Course Road NE taking signs for Josh Owen, a Pope County Sheriff’s Office Deputy who was shot in the line of duty last year.

The off-duty officer then followed Hoff to a home on the 2700 block of Le Homme Dieu Heights NE, according to the complaint.

Days later, police said they took a report of seven stolen signs from various parts of Alexandria for the Art in the Park Event, and four political signs were stolen. An employee of the business which had the political signs taken from it confronted Hoff, who said the signs were in the “right of way”, according to documents.

The complaint goes on to say that Hoff spoke with a deputy on July 10 after a sign for Judd Hoff was removed from the public right of way by police, saying if a sign is put within 12 feet of the property, by law, a person could come and take that piece of property because it’s in the right of way, including a garage sale or realtor sign.

During a search of the Hoff home, police say piles of signs were found in their backyard, including ones for the Interlachen Bazaar, Art in the Park, REMAX, Randy Fischer Realty, Josh Owen, Donald Trump, Michelle Fischbach and Steve Boyd. Police said some of the signs were covered in black paint and had been repainted as campaign signs for Hoff. In all, the value of the approximately 240 signs found in the yard was more than $1,500, and the total damages were estimated at nearly $5,000.

Neither of the Hoffs were home when the search warrant was served during the early afternoon hours on Friday. A copy of the warrant, as well as a receipt and inventory, was left in the kitchen for them, according to the complaint.

Alexandria police announced late Monday morning the Hoffs were arrested following a traffic stop on Saturday.

5 EYEWITNESS NEWS reached out to Judd Hoff for comment regarding the charges filed against him and his wife, and received the following response on Tuesday:

“Reports against us falsely claimed that the signage wasn’t in the right of way. All of the signage my wife removed was placed illegally in violation of several federal, state and local laws and ordinances and were in fact, in the right of way. My wife was careful to record photo documentation of this fact, and our accusers will be shown to have made false and erroneous statements to the authorities.
No one has a right to place obstructions, eyesores and obstacles in the right of way. The local authorities weren’t taking our complaints seriously, and our town was clogged everywhere with this unsightly signage. One church had their signs everywhere. In other instances event holders would place their promotional signs underneath stop signs and in roundabouts, and leave them there long after their events had ended. Many areas were the city hadn’t installed sidewalks and that are commonly used by pedestrians were blocked by the Lakes Area Maritime Museum, with no regard for the public. Campaign signs were placed illegally early, as well as in the right of way. People were blocking sidewalks with signage and restricting wheelchair access, as well.
We look forward to exonerating ourself with the evidence we carefully collected and the County will have a very difficult time trying to prove us guilty. The intrusion into our home, in light of the fact that none of the objects were actually stolen, is a 4th Amendment civil rights violation and we look forward to proving this in Federal Court, as well as gaining some clarity from the courts to the regard of citizens being allowed to remove illegal signage. “

As previously reported by 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS, the DFL rescinded its support for Hoff earlier this year after previous allegations of harassment resurfaced.

Douglas County DFL also rescinded its endorsement of Hoff after news of the charges against him, writing, in part, “The endorsement has been rescinded for cause based on police actions related to the alleged theft of advertising and campaign ‘yard signs.’ In taking this action, we are following the rules, bylaws, and recommendations of the State DFL Office.”