Woman Arrested For Stealing Signs Speaks Out

By Maria Tsataros First Coast News

FRUIT COVE, FL -- Fabiola Armitage is back on television, only instead of a campaign ad the focus has been on her mugshot.

Armitage is a Kerry supporter and a strong believer in stem cell research. She's featured in an advertisement urging Floridians to vote against Amendment 3 on this year's ballot. The amendment would cap how much money a lawyer can make from a medical malpractice lawsuit.

St. Johns County Sheriff Deputies arrested Armitage for grand theft and battery this week. They say she had 78 campaign signs supporting George Bush and Mel Martinez in her trunk. Armitage tells First Coast News that she "was told by code enforcement that would be okay, to pick them off, to remove them from the right-of-way."

James Acosta, head of St. Johns County enforcement says that Armitage was "advised not to collect the campaign signs. We asked that she notify us of the area and we would send a crew to pick them up."

Armitage says she saw hundreds of Bush/Cheney signs illegally placed on State Road 13 and along Race Track Road. She admits to collecting as many as she could, saying she didn't know what to do with them and that "I thought it was okay to keep them."

James Acosta says keeping the signs is illegal.

Armitage was released from the St. Johns County Jail this morning. She's charged with grand theft for having those signs. She's also charged with battery after a woman who confronted Armitage about taking the signs claimed Armitage opened her car door and hit the woman in the back.

©2009 First Coast News. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, rewritten, or redistributed.