Ava man charged with petit larceny after trail camera captures second theft

TURIN ROAD, NY — New York State Police have arrested Joseph A. Mooney, 54, of Ava, on charges of petit larceny following the theft of political campaign signs belonging to his opponent in the upcoming town of Lee Supervisor race.

The investigation began on May 23, 2025, when State Police received a complaint from a candidate for town of Lee Supervisor. The complainant reported that one of his political signs had been stolen from a friend’s property on Turin Road in the town of Lee.

Responding troopers discovered the missing campaign sign discarded in a dumpster located behind a business adjacent to where the sign was originally placed. The business is owned by Mooney, who is running against the complainant for the supervisor position.

After returning the sign to the property owner and reinstalling it on the lawn, the property owner decided to install a trail camera to monitor any future incidents.

The precautionary measure proved effective when, on May 28, 2025, State Police received a second call reporting another theft of the same political sign. This time, however, the property owner had video evidence of the crime.

When troopers responded to the scene, the property owner showed them trail camera footage clearly depicting Mooney removing the political sign from the property.

Following the investigation and review of the video evidence, Mooney was arrested and charged with one count of petit larceny. He was processed at the State Police station and subsequently released with an appearance ticket requiring him to appear in town of Lee Court at a later date.

The case highlights the tensions that can arise during local political campaigns and serves as a reminder that theft of campaign materials, regardless of value, constitutes a criminal offense under New York State law.