Sign Stolen: Suspect Charged

You’ve seen him sitting alongside the road, herding his friendly signs, talking on his cellphone, staying on message. In a reversal of fortune, the sign man, who has been mercilessly harassed by Mayor Cordova’s shock troops, suffered a bittersweet victory on Friday, August 31.

The tables were turned on an alleged signlifter, who made off with the sign man’s tribute to DMC shocky-jocky “Nancy.” According to sources, a passerby saw a young woman jump the wall at Casa des Cordovas, sprint across the street, grab the sign, and hotfoot it back to the midtown bistro.

Alerted to the crime against his favorite, the sign man dialed 911 and Officer James Black showed up, perused the area, interviewed witnesses, and thanks to Darren and Brenda Cordova, your hosts, quickly apprehended a suspect.  The copper immediately issued a ticket for “for criminal damage to property for tearing the sign and the second one for larceny from stealing the sign” to a female suspect, Diana Ray.

Ms. Ray was caught inside the restaurant. According to Mr. Black’s narrative of the case, the assistant manager, once aware that he might be harboring a criminal actor, produced the alleged suspect. The suspect’s rap sheet reveals that she was also charged with using fictitious license plate, driving with a suspended license, and having no vehicle insurance in an earlier case. His Honor, Judge Chavez found the scofflaw guilty of the first and third charges and fined the miscreant a total of $389.00.

Now the two-time loser will be back in court on two more criminal charges later this month.

According to Officer Black’s narrative, neither Darren nor Brenda knew anything about the bad act. The sign man surmised that Ms. Ray might be part of the Garden Club or some group interested in the “Beautify Taos” movement. “It scared the daylights out of me. I was worried for my safety,” said the sign man. Off the record, he told Taos Friction he suffers from “a condition” and that “I’m scared to death of these young people.” Northrup has been reproached by gang bangers in the past for his sign work and shown the butt of a sawed-off shotgun.

Thanks to the anonymous witness and Officer Montez, who assisted Officer Black, the Taos Police Department made quick work of what could have been the beginning of a crime wave. When citizens take the law into their own hands, like politicians, who knows where it might end.

An old friend noted, rather ominously, that the act might represent an arcane gang ritual or the return of the Ed Abbey Monkey Wrenchers, who used to plague Taos merchants by surreptitiously removing unsightly billboards along the north-south highway in the sixties and seventies.

As for political maven Billy Knight  (See the Knight Rider letter, Taos Friction, Sept.5) who accused the Sign Man of cooperating with the local “Taos Cabal,” as a member of the “tea party” cadre, Northrup laughed. “Raoul’s Barber Shop of Love in El Prado has been closed for months. Today everybody knows Coop activists take their cue from Tio Pablo.”

Yes, “they” say, Tio Pablo sits like a Buddha or the new Patron behind a wide-brimmed sombrero, where he watches and waits, waits and watches. “We don’t make a move without Tio’s blessing, said the Sign Man. “See my new tie?” Apparently Mr. knight is a day late and a dime short when it comes to politics du jour. But your sign man is on the job, like Tio Pablo, watching and waiting, waiting and watching.