Former college admin caught stealing Trump yard signs
Donald Trump campaign signs were stolen from a lawn in Amherst, New York by the former vice president of a small college.
Charlie Tulumello told WIVB 4 that he thought kids were playing a prank by stealing his signs, and was therefore surprised to discover that 60-something-year-old Dr. Norman Muir, the former Vice President of Academic Affairs for Medaille College, was actually the one who had stolen seven of his Trump signs.
“I was angry with Donald Trump and the way he ran his campaign,” the former administrator told WIVB 4.
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After having his signs stolen on two separate occasions, Tulumello set up video cameras outside his house to catch the person stealing his signs.
The videos show Muir, who lives a few blocks away, taking multiple signs and then running away—sometimes with his small dog on a leash following him.
Tulumello also posted a no-trespassing sign that informed people that if they trespass, they “quite possibly could get shot or hurt and then try to sue resulting in long drawn out court battles [that they] will lose because this sign will be: ‘Exhibit A.’”
Tulumello said he posted the no trespassing sign because his wife was feeling uneasy at night, but even that measure failed to deter the thief.
Tulumello eventually tracked Muir down following one of his escapades, and turned him over to local police, who charged him with petty larceny and trespassing.
According to an online profile, Muir was Undergraduate Dean for Academic Affairs at Medaille College, an associate vice president for academic affairs with Keuka College, and an assistant vice president for academic affairs with Bellarmine University.
Tulumello told WIVB 4 that he was more upset by the violation of his property rights than by the thefts themselves.
“This person comes up on my property in the middle of the night. You don’t know what to think,” he remarked. “I mean, these are stupid signs, but you’re coming onto my property in the middle of the night, stealing. That’s not right.”
Muir told police that he works at a local college, but Medaille College replaced him in July.
Muir later said he regretted his actions, saying, “It was stupid. I feel ashamed that I did it.”
University of Buffalo College Republicans President Reed Tighe told Campus Reform that he was not surprised to learn that an academic was behind the sign stealing, given the rabid bias of many faculty members and administrators.
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“There needs to be reform of the administrations who run our colleges and universities,” he said. “Current administrations are hiring too many liberal faculty members who are brainwashing students—essentially turning colleges to liberal recruitment centers.”
Muir is just such an example of someone who should not teach students, Tighe argued, saying, “It’s shameful that a once respected community member, the professor…was once teaching at a university influencing the minds of many young people.”
Follow the author of this article on Twitter: @TylerArnold18
