Maureen Harris, a member of the Rappahannock County Public Library Board of Trustees, acknowledged in a statement Monday that she removed two signs in the Woodville area opposing the library’s potential relocation. 

She said she felt they posed a safety hazard on the roadway and plans to return them.

“I saw one of the yard signs about the library at the edge of the highway. I was concerned that the sign was only about a foot from the paved portion of the highway,” Harris wrote in a statement to the Rappahannock News.

“Because of this location, I thought the sign could be a hazard, or at least a serious distraction to motorists on this heavily traveled road, and I stopped and removed the sign,” she wrote.

Harris, 83, a historian and author of books on the history of the Town of Washington and the Sperryville Rescue Squad, also wrote that she picked up another sign near Fletchers Mill and Rudasill Mill roads. 

“I thought I was doing a good deed,” Harris said later in an interview. “It’s a lovely sign that expresses a nice opinion, a gesture, to improve it. Unfortunately, nobody’s coming up with any money to improve it.”

Harris did not respond to questions from the Rappahannock News about if she plans to step down from her position on the Board of Trustees. Board Chair Victoria Fortuna also did not respond to questions regarding Harris’ position.

In a 20-second video captured on a Woodville home security camera, Harris steps out of a red SUV, pulls the sign out of the yard and walks back toward her vehicle with it in her hands.

The homeowner denied a request to release the full video due to privacy and safety concerns. The video was independently reviewed by the Rappahannock News and Foothills Forum, and it was captured on a home security camera on Aug. 19 around 6 p.m., the owner confirmed. 

One of three signs that recently popped up near Rock Mills. (Photo/Luke Christopher)

Former Piedmont Supervisor Christine Smith, who designed the signs and had about 100 made, said she had started noticing some of them were missing in other areas of the county, such as Washington and Boston. Smith, who also served on the county Public Safety Committee and Planning Commission, said she reached out to the county zoning office to see if the signs were removed by the county or the Virginia Department of Transportation for blocking views on roadways.

“I had noticed a couple were missing from where they had been placed, and I had reached out to see if someone had taken them down on purpose,” Smith said in an interview Saturday. “I started to wonder what was going on.”

A screenshot from the video, showing the suspect behind the wheel of the car, began circulating on Facebook on Saturday, shared by Woodville resident Lilla Fletcher-Leto. Dozens of people in the comments section speculated who it could be.

“It is a sad day in Rappahannock when I am asked to make a post seeking information,” Fletcher-Leto wrote in the Facebook post. “If anyone knows the person in the video who took this ‘Improve It Don’t Move It’ Library sign, please send information to the police.”

Harris said she plans to return the two signs to Smith “so that she might remount them in a better place.” 

Smith confirmed Monday afternoon that Harris had contacted her about returning the signs. 

When asked for comment on Harris’ explanation of why she removed the signs, Smith said, “The thing about living in the country is everyone knows bull poop when they see it.”

Last week, signs started popping up on county lawns and street corners reading, “Our Library: Improve It. Don’t Move It.” with a book and big red heart in the center. The signs come as the library’s Board of Trustees weighs relocating the county library to Rush River Commons, where they have been offered a rent-free building in the second development phase.

“I very intentionally have been positive in the way I’ve talked about the library situation, and really wanted everyone to hear about what’s going on in their county with their beloved library, and I never thought there would be this kind of ugliness,” Smith said. 

Rappahannock County Sheriff Connie Compton told the Rappahannock News on Monday that “no one has reported anything to the Sheriff’s Office.”

Julia Shanahan contributed to this report.