SOUTHWEST HARBOR — ’Tis the season. The theft of political signs and pumpkins dominated police news this week.

Campaign signs were reported taken from three different residences in Southwest Harbor. Signs, both Republican and Democrat, also were reported stolen in Tremont, Mount Desert and Bar Harbor.

Chief Dave Chapais reminds those responsible for taking signs that it is a violation of state law. Taking, defacing or disturbing a political sign is a civil violation that could result in a fine of $250. In addition, the chief said, a person taking a sign from private property could be charged with criminal trespass.

Signs posted on private property without permission can be removed.

“In egregious cases a person could be prosecuted,” explained Hancock County District Attorney Michael Povich.

“Candidates and their supporters work very hard during an election. Signs are expensive and putting them up is labor-intensive. It is very frustration for candidates and their supporters to see their signs vandalized or stolen,” he added. “This office will not hesitate to prosecute those who are caught participating in this unlawful activity.”

Pumpkins were taken from several residences, including one on Main Street, where a pumpkin weighing 150 pounds was reported missing on Oct. 23. That same day, four pumpkins were reported stolen from a home on the Long Pond Road.

Erwin Spooner Jr., 48, of Ellsworth was arrested Sunday on a charge of operating after suspension. He was additionally summonsed on a charge of possessing a useable amount of marijuana.

Christopher Boles, 23, of Ellsworth was summonsed Monday on a speeding charge.

Also summonsed for speeding this week was Chiaolin Korona, 52, of Bar Harbor. The summons was issued on Oct. 22.

Mount Desert

A report of an abandoned pickup truck on the Beech Hill Road led to the Oct. 24 arrest of a Bar Harbor man.

Sgt. Kevin Edgecomb arrived at the scene as the driver, Bradley Hamor, 28, was preparing to drive off. After the driver left, the sergeant learned through a license check that Mr. Hamor’s privilege to drive had been suspended and that there was a warrant for his arrest for failure to pay fines and fees in Bangor District Court. Sgt. Edgecomb stopped Mr. Hamor on the Indian Point Road and arrested him.

A 17-year-old girl from Bar Harbor was charged with illegal transportation of liquor by a minor Oct. 22 after the vehicle she was driving was pulled over by police for speeding in Somesville. During the stop, Officer Jacob Day reportedly spotted a box of Bud Light beer and a half-gallon of liquor in the vehicle.

Peggy Doak, 53, of Tremont was summonsed Oct. 22 on charges of operating after suspension and operating an unregistered motor vehicle after police stopped her vehicle on Route 102 for an expired inspection sticker.

Trenton

A 23-year-old Trenton man who allegedly pulled a knife and threatened a neighbor was arrested Saturday on a charge of criminal threatening.

Maine State Police Trooper Michael Southard arrested Chad Lee after a man reported Mr. Lee had threatened his son with the weapon. Mr. Lee was taken to the Hancock County Jail in Ellsworth.

Bar Harbor

A driver who left the scene of a minor traffic accident and allegedly tried to disguise the damage on his car was picked up by police several hours later and arrested Friday.

Peter R. Valencia, 26, of Sullivan, was driving a 2000 Pontiac sedan on Route 3, just on the Trenton side of the stoplight at the head of the island, when he smacked his car into the back of a 2005 Hyundai sedan driven by Tiffany Strout, 29, of Harrington. As Ms. Strout went to pull over, she reported, Mr. Valencia took off in his car down Route 102 toward Southwest Harbor.

Several hours later, after receiving several tips off odd behavior by a driver who matched Mr. Valencia’s description, police located Mr. Valencia and his car at a Tremont landscaping business. Mr. Valencia reportedly had tried to hide the front-end damage to his vehicle by coating it with a can of spray paint. He was arrested and charged with leaving the scene of a property damage accident, a class E crime punishable by up to six months in prison and/or a $1,000 fine.

The damage to both vehicles was estimated at $750. Neither driver was injured in the accident. Mr. Valencia did not have insurance coverage on his car.

Sunday’s heavy winds and rain led to multiple reports of downed tree limbs, false fire alarms, and downed power lines. Limbs were reported down on Indian Point Road, Oak Hill Road, Crooked Road, Glen Mary Road, Sand Point Road, Mount Desert Street, and Route 3. Tree limbs were reported on power lines on Pine Heath Road, Bayview Drive, Main Street, County Road, Cottage Street, and Lookout Point Road.

A large spruce tree that fell across Route 3 during the storm backed up traffic for several hours. Power was out for many Sunday morning, including at the Hannaford Grocery Store downtown and the Town Hill Market.

A report of blood on a Maple Avenue resident’s floor turned out to be splattered paint Oct. 24.

The theft of two McCain/Palin campaign signs from the traffic island at West and Eden streets was reported Monday.

A white Honda Accord parked in the parking lot behind Ben and Bill’s ice cream shop on Main Street apparently slipped out of gear and rolled partway over an embankment before police were able to secure the vehicle Oct. 21.

A Blackberry personal data assistant allegedly left on a bench at the town pier was reported missing on Oct. 21.

Keith E. Holland, 53, of Lincoln, was summonsed on a charge of speeding on Route 3 on Monday.

A man reported lurking in the driveway of someone who had left town was discovered upon investigation to be the owner of the property Oct. 22.

Caleb J. Kohl, 22, of Ramsey, Minn., was summonsed on a charge of speeding on Route 3 on Monday.

There was a complaint of dogs barking at all hours of the day at the Acadia Veterinary Hospital on Saturday.

Kyle J. Miller, 25, of Hermon, was arrested on a charge of operating while under the influence of an intoxicant (OUI) on Route 3 on Oct. 23.

A woman reported that seven prescription medications were stolen while she was staying at an Old Bar Harbor Road motel Oct. 24.

Gerald Blandford, 61, of Bar Harbor, was summonsed on a charge of speeding on Route 3 on Monday.

Bangor Hydro was notified of a tree touching the power lines on Eden Street on Oct. 23.

The remains of a dead tabby cat found on Route 102 were collected and taken to the police station Saturday.

A woman who failed to meet her husband at a pre-arranged location after taking a hike from Bubble Pond to Seal Harbor was located at home after police suggested the husband call there Oct. 23.

Kenneth Thompson, 44, of Seal Cove, was summonsed on a charge of speeding on Route 102 on Saturday.

A beer keg found in the bushes near the Congregational Church was picked up from the police station by workers with Atlantic Brewery Oct. 23.

A fire alarm at a College of the Atlantic dormitory was set off by burned popcorn Saturday.

A Woodbury Road resident reported that nails were left intentionally in her yard Saturday.

Matthias Gabrisch, 23, of Quebec, Canada, was summonsed on a charge of drinking in public after a report of a group of people throwing around traffic cones at the town pier Sunday.

Two cast iron radiators were reported stolen from a Cottage Street property undergoing renovations and posted with a no-trespassing sign Sunday.

A woman reported smelling marijuana throughout the third floor of an Eagle Lake Road apartment building, but police detected no such smell upon investigation Sunday.

A grocery cart full of returnable cans and bottles was reported rolling down Main Street toward the town pier Sunday afternoon. Police could not find the errant conveyance.

Meagan Jordan, 23, of Franklin, was summonsed on a charge of speeding and warned for an expired inspection on Route 3 on Monday.

A small electrical fire in the wall of a Route 3 hotel was quickly extinguished by firefighters Saturday.

One bicycle was reported stolen downtown this week, and two were reported found. Several minor car accidents were reported, including two involving deer that ran off into the woods.