The harsh sentence prompted many to wonder whether it wasn’t a bit extreme. Even the family of one of the victims opposed the verdict. There was no direct evidence against the three, and no explanation for why they would have left that particular stop sign lying in the dirt while taking others home. And a surprise witness testified that he had seen a truck that may have knocked down the stop sign. ““I’ve never been so confident about a case,’’ a defense lawyer said. But prosecutors lined the courtroom with the trio’s stolen signs and the victims’ relatives. The judge ordered the three released on bond while they appeal, and they may get a new trial. For one thing, the judge was concerned that he might have erred by lumping all the charges together. And a key prosecution witness recanted his testimony after the verdict, saying the state bullied him. Prosecutors denied it. Their message to pranksters: don’t steal the sign if you can’t do the time.
