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It was a bad thing two Mocksville teens did a few weeks ago.

They stole political signs.

To make it worse, some of their actions were photographed and posted to social media, making it possible to identify them as suspects in a crime.

It wasn’t long before Mocksville Police Detective Logan Fox came calling.

Working with the teens, their parents, the district attorney’s office, the juvenile court system and the Davie County Democratic Party – Fox worked out an agreement that will keep the teens from having a permanent criminal record.

The teens – age 15 and 16 – had to write the letters of apology accompanied with this article, and apologize to their parents and the Democratic Party. They will have to complete 20 hours of community service at the Humane Society of Davie County. Parents had their own punishment.

They also had to replace the Biden-Harris signs they stole that had been placed by the Democratic Party along Mocksville roadways.

Everyone involved deemed the punishment fair, said Mocksville Police Major Koula Black.

“The juvenile court counselor agreed that this is the route they would have chosen and the assistant district attorney stated that as long as the victims were appeased by this solution, that they would be satisfied as well,” Black said. “Our agency would give the same opportunity to any juvenile and would not care which political party the signs came from.

“This was an opportunity to have a teachable moment, and we believe that the juveniles involved learned a valuable lesson during the process, as well as making lasting friendships with a group of people that they perhaps would never have had the opportunity to interact with before,” Black said.

To Members of the Davie County Democratic Party and the Davie County Community:

I am writing today to express my apologies for taking political signs from Mocksville streets that did not belong to me. I am very sorry for taking them, it was an immature, selfish, and illegal thing to do.

I now realize how big of a deal my actions were and how hurtful they were to the Democratic Party. My parents have had a serious talk with me about all the work that goes into politics even on a local level. We also discussed how this country was built on freedom to make and express your own opinions and decisions. Every American has the right to their own opinions and views and by taking your party’s signs I took away your right to express your views. For that, I am truly sorry.

I realize that by taking your signs I commited a crime, hurt your party and caused problems for myself and my family. I would like to make amends and have returned the signs to Detective Fox at the Mocksville Police Department. I am very sorry for my actions and all the problems I have caused.

Dear Davie County Democratic Board Members

and Davie County Citizens:

I am truly sorry for the actions I took and the activities I was involved in last Wednesday night. These actions were immature, selfish, and uncaring and I wish I stopped myself from doing these activities. I feel remorse for the things I’ve done, the people I’ve hurt, and the people I’ve disappointed. These actions were senseless and on impulse and shouldn’t have taken place.

Even though I made these bad decisions, I’ve also learned something from these consequences that are taking place. I learned that signs are not to be taken lightly especially when a big election is happening. I’ve also learned that these signs aren’t just metal and plastic, they’re someone’s belief, and someone’s message that they want to send to others to inform them that this is who I am voting for and you should think about this person as a qualified candidate when you go down to the polls. These signs send a message to the community letting citizens know what you stand for and what you want to see in our country in the future. These signs are not for someone to be stealing off street corners just because you think it’s “funny.”

What we didn’t put into perspective while in the act of stealing these signs is how much time and money was put into ordering the signs and setting them out. People have taken time out of their day to help put these signs out so they could inform people about the presidential candidate. This senseless action has disappointed the whole community.

I used to go out and do things without thinking first about them. Since this has happened, I have started thinking about my future and who I want to be as a person. The person I was then, I don’t want to be him. I want to be someone with a level head and a good heart. So I have decided to regain commitments and control my life. I have three major priorities that I care deeply about and they are in the order as follows: Church, Family, and making this community a better place. This has caused me to change myself for the better and stay out of trouble. I have steered clear of trouble and social media and it has made me feel better about myself as a person. I can honestly say that I’ve changed for the better and I’m looking forward to my future.

I would also like to ask for forgiveness from the Davie County community, the Davie Democratic Party and the people I’ve hurt and disappointed. I hope this letter can let everyone know that I’ve changed and I have learned a valuable lesson from this terrible mistake.