Lancaster Co. man’s sign calls sheriff ‘pimp’ for ‘crook politicians’ for not enforcing sign law

John Gosnell is upset again – or maybe still – about signs along busy U.S 521 in Indian Land, where he lives close to the highway.

That is not new.

The 76-year-old claims he can’t get the police or government to do anything about what he says are illegal advertising signs that businesses put in the public right-of-way along the highway, where he has walked and bicycled for decades. He says the signs distract drivers from pedestrians, bicyclists and other drivers.

That is not new.

So he put up a sign of his own this week alongside one of the busiest stretches of road in Lancaster County. It claims the sheriff “pimps for crook politicians” by not enforcing the sign law.

That is new.

The entire sign reads: “State judge rules no crime by me. Sheriff pimps for crook politicians by not enforcing title 57-25-10 law.”

The sign is on a wheeled trailer, several feet long by several feet tall. About 30,000 vehicles drive by that sign every day, across from the City of Light ministries.

The sheriff noticed the sign.

Lancaster County Sheriff Barry Faile either saw the sign himself or was told of the sign, so he went to see Gosnell Thursday afternoon. It is unclear what was said.

Faile does not want to comment on the sign or the issue, said Doug Barfield, the sheriff’s spokesman, who pointed out that signs are a matter for county zoning enforcement, not law enforcement.

Gosnell has had previous brushes with the law, according to the State Law Enforcement Division. He was arrested most recently in 2013 for allegedly pointing a gun. That case was dismissed by a judge last year, court records show.

Before that, Gosnell was convicted of disorderly conduct and damage to property in one 2002 case, and assault in a much older case.

Gosnell said Friday he will keep the sign up “until I get some answers.” He wants county officials to “enforce the law” concerning signs posted in rights-of-way.

That law makes it illegal to place a sign within a right-of-way and visible from the highway.

Gosnell and his complaints are known to zoning and county officials and law enforcement in Lancaster County. County Administrator Steve Willis said he has talked to Gosnell before and is aware of other signs Gosnell has had up, but he had not been told of the newest sign, which employs stronger language.

As long as Gosnell’s sign is legally situated, Willis said, the county won’t do anything to restrict his free speech. The county has received no complaints about the sign, Willis said.

So the sign remained up Friday.

And John Gosnell sat right there next to it, watching thr traffic go by.

This story was originally published August 7, 2015 at 5:52 PM with the headline "Lancaster Co. man’s sign calls sheriff ‘pimp’ for ‘crook politicians’ for not enforcing sign law."