SUMNER COUNTY, Tenn. (WTVF) — Nearly 80 traffic signs were stolen from seven roads in Sumner County, costing close to $20,000 and raising serious safety concerns, according to the county roads superintendent.
The thefts were spread across Mud Hollow Road, Garrison Branch, Weeping Willow, Liberty Lane, Cummins Lane, Jones Lane, and New Hope Road.
Roads Superintendent Toby Ellis said the situation started small before escalating quickly.
"Then we started getting calls from deputies going, 'Hey, there's a stop sign missing,'" Ellis said.
When crews went out to replace those signs, they discovered the problem was far worse than expected.
"It was one weekend that almost 80 signs came up missing," Ellis said.
The stolen signs included stop signs, speed limit markers, and curve and bridge warnings. Ellis said it took about four days to replace them all.
Ellis said he believes a group of teenagers may be responsible. While some might consider it a prank, he said the consequences are anything but minor.
"It's easily approaching $20,000," Ellis said.
Beyond the cost, Ellis said the greater concern was driver safety.
"The cost is one thing, but the safety is key," Ellis said.
Without stop signs or bridge markers in place, drivers could blow through intersections or miss critical warnings on unfamiliar roads.
Ellis said the signs are designed to resist theft, but whoever took them found a way around those protections.
"They're supposed to be anti-theft, but they figured out a way to do it," Ellis said. "So we're going to change some of what we do to make it harder for them to steal them."
Now that the signs have been replaced, Ellis said he wants to find both the stolen signs and the people responsible. He is asking parents to check home security footage for any clues.
"I'm very hopeful parents, you know, check their videos around their homes — the Ring doorbells, anything they have — they could give information off of. Please contact us," Ellis said.
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