An Anchorage woman accused of vandalizing dozens of political signs during a one-night spree in March ahead of the city’s mayoral election now faces one felony and two misdemeanor charges.
An investigation by the Anchorage Police Department led to three charges filed against 27-year-old Amanda M. Pineda: two misdemeanors — improper use of plates and filing a false police report — and a felony charge of third-degree criminal mischief, according to a criminal complaint filed in state court April 25.
On March 12, APD received a report from Blake Stieren, coordinator for Mayor Dave Bronson’s reelection campaign, that “over thirty signs” had been vandalized the night prior, according to a probable cause statement signed by Detective Samuel Sullivan.
Signs were reportedly covered in a variety of messages, some related to the ongoing conflict in Gaza while others were crude expletives directed at Bronson and scrawled on the large 4-by-8 foot signs that political candidates mount along major roadways during election season. The incident took place just about a week after a contentious Assembly vote to encourage a cease-fire in the ongoing Middle East conflict, and about three weeks before the end of the municipal election that closed on April 2.
Sullivan wrote in the probable cause statement that assembling and replacing each sign cost almost $140, bringing the total amount of the damage past the $750 threshold that warrants a third-degree criminal mischief charge. Pineda reported to police that her license plate had been stolen, which investigators dispute, according to the complaint.
Reached by phone Monday, an attorney representing Pineda declined to comment on the pending case.
A resident who observed two people vandalizing the signs in real time took a photo of their license plate that was later posted to social media, according to the probable cause statement. Stieren indicated that Alexis Johnson, the city’s homelessness coordinator, looked up the license plate information and tracked the vehicle to an East Anchorage residence, though it displayed a different license plate, according to the statement.
Johnson said in a text message Monday that she saw the plate information on Facebook and looked into it outside of work hours in an unofficial capacity.
Police connected the vehicle and original license plate to Pineda and obtained a warrant in April to check her cellphone records, comparing locations and dates to where signs were damaged overnight in March, the detective wrote in the probable cause statement. Pineda’s phone traveled to many of the same areas where signs were vandalized that night, Sullivan wrote.
The court canceled a warrant issued for Pineda after she submitted a $500 bond agreeing to appear at future hearings.
According to voter registration data, she is a member of the Libertarian Party, and first cast a ballot in Alaska in 2022.
Both Bronson and his opponent in the ongoing mayoral runoff election, former Anchorage Assembly Chair Suzanne LaFrance, have complained about their signs being vandalized over the last several months. Officials working for the campaigns say it costs time and money replacing or repairing such campaign materials.