State house candidate and wife are charged in lawn sign caper
As if Minnesota politics couldn’t get any weirder, a candidate for the state House of Representatives has been charged with two felony counts related to the theft of lawn signs in the Alexandria area.
Judd Hoff is the candidate in question, running as a Democrat for House District 12B:
Spelling is not Mr. Hoff’s strong point. When filing for office, Hoff declared his party affiliation as DFL (Democratic-Farmer-Labor).
Hoff’s official campaign Facebook page does not specify a party affiliation.
To be clear, the lawn signs allegedly stolen total 244 and include political signs (both parties), “no parking,” real estate, anything not nailed down.
The always-alert Lou Raguse of KARE-11 TV ventured up to Alexandria and filed this report:
People react to theft of 244 yard signs in Alexandria, allegedly by political candidate’s wife
Yes, it was Judd Hoff’s wife Wendy who is actually accused of stealing the signs. Both Hoffs were booked into the Douglas County jail on Saturday.
Judd is charged with two felony counts related to the sign theft:
Judd’s two charges involve aiding and abetting and receiving stolen property.
Wendy Hoff is charged with a single felony count on the alleged theft in the case:
Both Hoffs had a bail hearing Monday morning in Douglas County court. The local Alexandria Echo Press are reporting that both, in fact, posted bail:
Both of the Hoffs appeared in court for a hearing Monday morning. The court set unconditional bail for both defendants at $15,000. In the alternative, the defendants may each post $500 cash or a $5,000 bond on standard conditions including remaining law abiding.
The Hoffs have both posted bail.
A request by Wendy for a public defender was denied.
Curiously, the county jail roster lists two additional charges for Wendy, unrelated to the lawn sign case:
It is possible, but not confirmed, that the above entries are in reference to a 2023 civil case filed by Douglas County Social Services against Wendy Hoff. The civil case involved a $3,200 overpayment to Hoff of public (medical) assistance money from 2018 until early 2020.
The Hoffs’ home is located across the street from the home of the incumbent Republican who represents House District 12B. The police searched the Hoff home last week and found the lawn signs. According to the police report filed in the case (p. 3), some of the signs were in the process of being converted into “Vote Hoff, State Representative 12B.”
The incident was serious enough to cause the local Democratic party unit to rescind its endorsement of Hoff, as posted on the unit’s Facebook page last night:
This is not the first run in with Judd Hoff and the law. In 2021, Hoff was convicted of felony assault involving a 2020 machete-waving incident. His sentence involved a downward departure owing to the fact that the other guy was the initial aggressor.
The Hoff case is just the latest incident of Minnesota political figures behaving badly. Back in April, a sitting state senator, Nicole Mitchell (DFL-Woodbury) made international news for her arrest on a charge of breaking into her stepmother’s home.
Back in June, a candidate for the Hennepin County board was arrested in a landlord-tenant dispute that involved her tossing a tarantula. This candidate also had her party endorsement (Republican) revoked.
Weird.
Back to the Hoffs. In Judd’s official campaign finance filings, Wendy is listed as the campaign treasurer. The candidate reported raising $120 in cash through July 22, with $90 of cash on hand remaining.
The Hoffs are scheduled to be back in court on August 21.