Councilman Admits to Removing Signs, Denies Theft

By City News Service

Lake Forest City Councilman Adam Nick, who led an effort to make stealing campaign signs a misdemeanor, admitted today he removed campaign signs belonging to fellow Councilman Scott Voigts, and prosecutors dropped charges against him.

Nick donated $1,000 to the Victim Witness Emergency Fund and performed eight hours of community service, according to Deputy District Attorney Jess Rodriguez. Nick also submitted a signed letter “acknowledging his role in the charged offenses,” Rodriguez said.

Misdemeanor charges against Nick were dropped.

Although he admitted to removing campaign signs, Nick denied it was theft.

“I did not admit anything,” Nick told Patch. ”There is no stealing anything. I wrote that I removed illegally posted signs. They dropped the case because they did not have a case.”

Nick’s attorney, Paul Meyer, emphasized that his client did not admit stealing the signs.

“He’s not admitting any theft,” Meyer told City News Service. “Mr. Nick confirmed he removed illegally placed signs and the District Attorney after a thorough evaluation ... has dismissed the case.”

“On October 9, 2014, I directed the removal of illegally placed campaign signs belonging to another person,” Nick wrote in the letter. “In order to resolve this matter without the distraction of a public trial, I have donated $1,000 to the Victim Witness Emergency Fund, and performed 8 hours of community service. I understand that the district attorney will resolve the case by way of dismissal of charges.”

“Mr. Nick directed the removall of illegally placed signs. That is not a crime,” said Meyer. “After thorough evaluation, the DA agreed and dismissed.”

In a follow-up email to City News Service, Rodriguez wrote that “Nick sent a letter acknowledging his role in the crimes, but didn’t explain what that role was. In that letter he did not admit theft. He acknowledged directing the removal of illegally placed signs belonging to another person. The admission doesn’t go beyond that.”

“I would note that many first-time-offender petty theft cases resolve for dismissals in exchange for much smaller donations, or perhaps providing a DNA sample,” Rodriguez said. “However it was felt that as a public official, Mr. Nick should be held to a higher standard. This resolution accomplishes that while sparing taxpayers the expense of a public trial.”

Nick, who was mayor pro tem at the time, was caught last October by Orange County sheriff’s deputies directing the removal of w Voigts’ campaign signs, according to Rodriguez. Voigts is currently the city’s mayor.

Nick, 50, illegally parked his vehicle about 2 a.m. Oct. 9 at Bake Parkway and Trabuco Road and directed a passenger to get out of his car and take one of Voigts’ campaign signs, the prosecutor said.

When deputies searched Nick’s car, they found about 10 other Voigts signs, Rodriguez said, while noting that Nick was not running against Voigts for election to the council at the time.

Last year, Nick led the charge on the council to make it a misdemeanor to steal or deface campaign signs, the prosecutor said.

Correction: Due to a City News Service error, an earlier version of this story misstated the nature of Mr. Nick’s admission.