VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – The case against an Edgewater mayoral candidate accused of stealing his opponent’s campaign signs was dropped, according to court documents released Thursday.
The candidate, Michael Ignasiak, was caught on video taking campaign signs belonging to his opponent, 18-year-old Diezel Depew, from the nearby JC’s Riptides seafood restaurant.
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The signs themselves were placed at the corner of South Ridgewood Avenue and Joseph Drive, police said. It was later confirmed the location the signs taken was in the right of way of the city, police said, yet it was noted in the narrative that only authorized city employees are allowed to remove such signs that violate city ordinances.
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Ignasiak posted a written agreement on Facebook, saying the owner gave Ignasiak permission to place his sign there — but that the owner didn’t give Depew the same permissions.
However, the actual owner of the restaurant told News 6 that it was her son who had signed the agreement, not her. The owner added that she did, in fact, give Depew permission to place his sign there.
Ignasiak was later charged with one count of petit theft, though a prosecution agreement signed on Monday shows the case was dropped on the conditions that Ignasiak paid $20 to Crime Stoppers of Northeast Florida, $50 to the State Attorney’s Office and $50 to the Edgewater Police Department for the cost of the investigation.
The document shows that Ignasiak was also required to perform 25 hours of community service, though he received an option to instead pay a $250 donation to a nonprofit charity.
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