Car thieves swipe Detroit City Council hopeful's petition signatures

Scott Benson plans to run for Detroit City Council but lost ballot petition signatures when thieves stole his car

DETROIT – The Osborn neighborhood on Detroit's east side has been hit with a rash of car break-ins.

Scott Benson's Ford Fusion was stolen overnight from his driveway. The car was found miles away stripped and sitting on cement blocks.

"They smashed out the rear window. They climbed into the vehicle, pushed it down the street and they stole the rims, tires," Benson said.

That's not all they took.

"My heart sank as soon as I realized my petitions were in the rear of my vehicle and it was gone," he said.

Benson is seeking to run for Detroit City Council's 3rd district seat. He collected hundreds of signatures to help put him in the running. However, when the thieves took off with his car, they may have also robbed him of his chance to get his name on the ballot.

"You need 350 signatures. You can turn in a max of 650. I had 630 that I had collected on my way to turn them in this week," Benson said.

Police are investigating while Benson is reassessing his next approach.

"Never leave the signatures in the car again. Keep them in the home. I've learned a huge lesson in this experience," he said.
Benson doesn't believe he was targeted for his signatures. He thinks the thieves were simply after his car which was heavily damaged.

Police are looking into a number of car break-ins that happened this past weekend in the area of 7 Mile Road and Gratiot Avenue.