Editor:

On July 1, 2011, I took four “Kim Simac for Senate” signs from the right-of-way of an Oneida County highway. Let me say this before I continue-I broke the law that day! In the State of Wisconsin, it is illegal to take or tamper with political signs, unless you’re the police, the owner of the sign or the Highway Department.

Trust me when I say doing something like this is definitely not worth the financial losses (lawyers, fines, lost wages), on top of the embarassment of being arrested for theft.

In closing this letter, I would like to remind you that regardless of a person’s political stance, after the election is over, these people are still your neighbors, siblings and friends, so treat them with respect.

Craig A. Nelson, Tomahawk

Editor’s note: Mr. Nelson was ordered to write this letter of apology as a condition of the sentence for his theft conviction.