Pennsylvania councilman, 19, jailed after stealing Romney campaign signs

A 19-year-old Pennsylvania councilman reportedly remains behind bars after allegedly stealing Mitt Romney campaign signs and damaging a farm field.

The Express-Times reports that Alburtis Councilman Kyle A. Bower was arraigned Wednesday on charges stemming from the Oct. 3 incidents and sent to Lehigh County Prison. A judge set Bower’s bail at $5,000, but the teenager won’t be released from custody even if he posts it due to a probation violation.

Bower, a Democrat less than a year into his first borough council term, is on probation after pleading guilty to escape and stalking charges on Jan. 4, the same day he took the oath of office, the newspaper reports.

Bower was sentenced him to two years of probation and 100 hours of community service. Authorities allege the teenage politician’s latest arrest violate conditions of that sentence.

Police say Bower stole campaign signs for Republican candidates Romney, Charlie Dent and Ryan Mackenzie on Oct. 3 from the front yard of a borough home. The stolen signs later turned up in Bower’s car, which was found abandoned along with two bottles of beer in Lower Macungie Township, according to police. Bower allegedly caused nearly $600 in damage to a field where the car was abandoned  when it became disabled.

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