A tremendous Joe Biden display made from 19 19 bales of hay was set burning opposite a Massachusetts farm on Friday, a report said.
The political message, which read “USA — Vote Biden Harris 2020,” was worked by Dicken Crane, owner of Holiday Brook Farm, and a few different helpers daily before it was burnt, Boston 25 News reported.
Dalton police on Saturday declared the arrest of 49-year-old suspect Lonnie Durfe, who was accused of incendiarism.
“The person who did this was bragging in a bar that he planned to do it before an entire pack of people and afterward when he went to the corner store to get the gas, he was boasting there that he planned to do it,” Crane told the news station.
Crane said the idea to construct the massive display came about after other area signs in support of Biden’s campaign were reported stolen.
“We were seeing a lot of big Trump banners and only a few little small Biden signs that people kept complaining were being stolen, so we got the idea no one’s going to steal 1,200-pound round bales,” said Crane.
Crane conceded he anticipated to attract some troublemakers, but nothing like what came to be.
“We expected there might be some vandalism, but we never expected somebody would douse it with gasoline and set it on fire,” said Crane. “It was very worrisome somebody would set those bales on fire, you had to wonder whether he would be willing to set a barn on fire.”
The farmer told the outlet he planned to replace the scorched sign with a more neutral display that reads, “Vote.”
“I’m hoping this will become something that actually brings people together, not pushes us apart,” he said.
