CHANDLER, Ariz. — A Chandler politician is accused of damaging a single political sign, according to a police report.
The report alleges that Vice Mayor OD Harris and his wife were involved in damaging an opposition sign in July.
To be clear, Harris and his wife are not facing any chares at this point, but a spokesperson for the City of Chandler said the investigation was submitted to the Scottsdale City Attorney's Office for review.
Vote out OD Harris, an opposition group against the vice mayor, claimed there were multiple instances of damaged or stolen signs this election cycle.
In one incident from July, Harris himself is accused of being involved.
"I gave you the date and kind of a little bit description of what happened since somebody saw you driving a car that was involved in a crime," a Chandler officer told Harris in a September 2024 interview, recorded by a body camera.
Police told Harris this stemmed from witness video from a vehicle driving near Chandler Blvd. and Hearthstone Way.
12News obtained a copy of the video from the City of Chandler, which is only five seconds long. The video appears to show the back of two people as someone alleges they’re ripping something up.
Police records indicate it was a No-OD sign and that the witnesses saw the two people get into a vehicle they believed could have been driven by OD Harris.
"You remember what you did that day? " an officer asks Harris during the interview.
"Yeah," Harris replied. "I went to church. My wife and I, we went out to do - fix signs around the community."
Harris told police that they were out that day fixing his signs and that someone called his wife a racial slur and that a vehicle tried to block them from leaving the area. He also said his wife was wearing a green dress, the same color as one of the people in the video recording.
When Harris is asked by police if he and his wife were involved in the theft or damage of anti-Harris signs, he denies it.
"Were either of you involved in removing or damaging a campaign sign?" asked the I-Team's Erica Stapleton in an interview with Harris and his wife Elizabeth Ward.
"No, we're not involved," Harris said.
The couple told the I-Team they think the investigation is politically motivated and that it went too far.
"I feel that I have been discriminated on," Harris said. "And I feel like I have been treated very unfairly."
Harris’s attorney points out that you can’t tell who the people in the photos and video are, but the police report indicates that the vehicle involved could be linked to Harris.
Harris said he and his campaign reported stolen and damaged signs, too. He shared a picture with 12News showing one of his campaign signs painted over in black paint, showing a swastika, a racial slur and the phrase "NO-OD."
The City of Chandler couldn't confirm this picture was part of an investigation.
Harris and his wife think the NO-OD group got more attention from the police. A different incident reported to police shows the NO-OD sign is valued at $1.
"You think they were looking for a murder, crime or a robbery with the kind of investigation they were doing for $1 sign," said Ward. "We didn't get the same treatment."
"It's a very biased report," Harris added. "It's one-way leaning. It's accusations upon accusations."
The city of Chandler provided the I-Team with at least four cases where OD Harris reported crimes related to his campaign, including the shifter being cut in one of his staffer’s vehicles.
One case, filed in May, has been resolved. The other three cases, filed in October, are listed as open.
Harris also filed a complaint about the officer involved in the case against him and asked the city manager's office to investigate other issues related to the police department and city council.
Both the City of Chandler and the Chandler police department declined interviews with 12News.
"What would you guys do if you were charged for this case?" asked Stapleton.
"We’ll deal where it accordingly," said Ward. "At this point in time, I'm not worried about those charges. I'm more worried about — the bigger picture is Chandler and our police officers."
If Harris and his wife are charged — which again, they have not been — it could be a class two misdemeanor for sign tampering or theft, which could result in up to 4 months of jail time or up to $750 in fines.
A Chandler spokesperson said the complaint Harris filed against the officer will be sent to another agency for review.
Harris has already been re-elected to his position on Chandler City Council.
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