Prosecutor Candidates Accuse Each Other Of Wrongdoing
The race for Fremont County prosecutor is getting ugly, as a spat over campaign sign placement is turning into a political brawl.
Supporters of Karl Lewies for Fremont County prosecutor woke up Easter Sunday to an email about his opponent, incumbent Joette Lookabaugh. It read, “Thought you might enjoy knowing about the incumbent’s yard sign caper.”
The sign in question was directly across the street from Lookabaugh’s St. Anthony home.
“I’m angry,? Lookabaugh said. ?I’m a little mad. It’s so mean-spirited to put a rival campaign sign at the end of someone’s driveway.”
She admits her husband took the sign down, but not before contacting law enforcement first, she said. The owners and managers of the property said they never wanted the sign there in the first place.
“Karl never contacted me,? said Les Ball, who manages the property. ?He never asked [my permission].”
Stephen Lookabaugh then put up one of his wife’s signs.
“I asked [Lookabaugh] to put one up in my yard, as a matter of fact,” Ball said.
That’s when law enforcement got involved. According to an official report, an anonymous tipster called 911 on Stephen. A deputy came out to investigate, but found nothing wrong.
“We’ve turned the signs over to the owner, and that’s pretty much the end of it for us,? said Fremont County Sheriff Len Humphries. ?No charges are going to be filed.”
An even bigger complication in this campaign kerfuffle springs from an Idaho statute which reads, “It shall be unlawful for any person to erect … election posters or signs upon public or private property … without the permission from the owner or occupant.”
Technically, Lookabaugh can file charges against Lewies, but she say’s that’s not necessary.
“This shouldn’t be a part of the campaign,? Lookabaugh said. ?Particularly, it shouldn’t be involved in the campaign when the two people involved are lawyers, sworn to uphold the law.”
In a phone conversation, Lewies said he is seeking an investigation from an outside law enforcement agency, because he believes the sheriff’s endorsement of Lookabaugh creates a conflict of interest.
Fremont County will vote for the prosecutor during primary election day on May 15.
