Although members of the general public may be tired of what seems to be a never-ending parade of political signs, removing them prematurely could lead to trouble as four young men discovered Wednesday morning.

Tamaqua Patrolman Thomas Rodgers was in the Hunter Street area at 2:22 a.m., when he heard a vehicle traveling south on Valley Road into Walker Township. From where he was patrolling, the officer suspected the vehicle could only have been traveling the wrong way on either Orwigsburg or Cherry streets.Approaching the Hunter and Orwigsburg Street intersection, Rodgers saw two extra large "road closed" signs barricading the roadway. One of the signs was pushed to the side, allowing room for a vehicle to get through.Rodgers proceeded cautiously, not knowing if there was a problem in the road ahead. He then observed a black Dodge pickup truck complete a U-turn in the area of the Lower Road and initiated a vehicle stop.The driver of the truck was identified as Jordan Hoffman, 19, of 11 Cold Run Rd., New Ringgold. His three passengers were Joseph Paul Reno, 19, of 25 Nagles Rd., Pine Grove; Evan James Greenawalt, 19, of 25 Greenawalt Lane, Schuylkill Haven; and Aaron Michael Weller, 18, of 176 E. Adamsdale Rd., Orwigsburg.Officer Rodgers then noticed a large number of signs/posters in the back of the truck. A large, orange, diamond shaped "road closed" sign was readily visible.Upon closer inspection, the officer found more than three dozen campaign and business signs. The four men were taken into custody and transported to the station.Under questioning, Reno admitted the foursome took the signs from the Schuylkill Haven and Friedensburg areas. He also admitted they blockaded Valley Road. The barricade signs, it was learned, were taken from Browns Road in Washington Township. Browns Road had been closed under a PennDOT mandate, due to the poor condition of a bridge.Township employees traveled to Tamaqua to retrieve those barricades. Anyone else missing a sign may contact Tamaqua Police at (570) 668-5000.All four men were charged with theft by unlawful taking, receiving stolen property, reckless endangerment and obstructing a highway/public passage. Hoffman was also charged with careless driving and failure to heed a traffic control device.The men were arraigned before District Judge Stephen Bayer. Bail was set at $5,000 unsecured for each defendant.