Jacksonville Beach — A woman known for homemade signs she puts up around her home in Jacksonville Beach became the center of a Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office internal affairs investigation.
Sonja Fitch says she considers her sometimes political, profanity laced signs to be free speech and a peaceful protest.
In February 2019, signs specific to President Donald Trump were removed by a JSO officer, according to a new 66 page internal affairs report.
“He makes me take out everything off of my fence with people yelling, and cussing, and hollering,” Fitch said.
The report says JSO Officer Lt. Steve Mullen, who is now retired, did not coordinate properly with Jacksonville Beach Police when taking Fitch’s signs.
The report says Mullen told Jacksonville Beach Police “His wife or other family members work in the area and have to look at Fitch’s signs, therefore he was going to fix it.”
The report says Fitch told police the three “rogue" JSO Officers committed a terrorist attack when taking her signs, and that she considers the six signs that the JSO officers “stole” to be works of art and that she values them at $1,000 a piece.
Jax beach police did not have comment, but they are quoted in the internal affairs investigation saying Fitch’s signs were legal.
The JSO’s internal affairs unit upheld the charges of improper action, unbecoming conduct, departure from the truth and misuse of computer software.
Fitch says she plans to put up new signs after the holidays in February.