The L.A. County Sheriff's Department is investigating a report that an election sign promoting the Mitt Romney, Paul Ryan presidential ticket was defaced at a home on Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu.
Bonnie and Richard Coleman, who live in the 21000 block of Pacific Coast Highway, called the Lost Hills/Malibu sheriff's station Tuesday morning, reporting that the sign was defaced with phallic symbols and the words "lesbians" and "gay sex" etched over the candidates names.
"It seems like someone very young," said Bonnie Coleman, who helps run the GOP headquarters at the old courthouse in Malibu. She said the sign was put up on Sunday afternoon.
The sheriff's department is investigating the incident as vandalism and not a hate crime, according to sheriff's Sgt. John Skikas.
"It was just spray paint. There is no suspect information at this time," Skikas said. "This is the only incident that has been reported. We certainly don’t think any one group has been targeted. It seems to be a case of random vandalism."
Coleman said she does believe her home is being targeted because she and her husband are registered Republicans.
"I think it is because we are Republican and because it is accessible to someone who is walking by on PCH," Coleman said.
She said that a sign put up during the primaries was also vandalized in a similar way.
"I had a Romney sign on our gate next to the garage door that read 'Believe in America.' It was taken down so I put another one back up and that was taken down and someone put it back up with the words 'Believe in Gay Sex,'" Coleman said. "We’ve also had an egg thrown on the deck and garbage."
The Colemans, who have lived at the Malibu home for 29 years, plan to continue their support of Romney and Ryan.
"I’m going to keep putting signs up," she said.
