A Connecticut Democratic state lawmaker is facing a misdemeanor larceny charge days before Election Day after an AirTag hidden in her Republican opponent’s campaign sign pinged at her property, according to police and local reports.
Easton police issued state Rep. Anne Hughes, D-Easton, a summons for sixth-degree larceny after the campaign of her GOP challenger, Darrell Harris, reported that several of its signs had been stolen along Judd Road, WFSB reported. During the investigation, officers located an AirTag tracking device showing that at least one of the missing signs was at a property owned by Hughes, according to WFSB. Hughes returned several signs to police, the station reported.
BREAKING: CT State Rep Anne Hughes (D) charged with larceny after allegedly stealing campaign signs belonging to her opponent
The signs were reported missing and an airtag in the sign led police straight to a property owned by Hughes pic.twitter.com/R6thN1DeML
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) November 1, 2026
Weston Today reported that sixth-degree larceny is a Class C misdemeanor. Hughes told the CT Mirror she was instructed to appear in court in about two weeks.
Signs quoted her own words
The signs in question took aim at Hughes over a so-called hot mic moment at a press conference called by lawmakers who favor higher taxes on the wealthy, the CT Mirror reported. Hughes was heard joking to a colleague, “We’re not rich. But I always tell the governor to tax my people — they won’t even notice,” according to the outlet.
Harris answered that line on his signs with two words: “We noticed,” according to the CT Mirror.
Harris told the CT Mirror that a volunteer frustrated by disappearing signs had hidden trackers in some of them, and the campaign was able to follow one on Friday. “I expected it to ping to same random person,” Harris said, according to the outlet. “The last thing I expected was it to ping on her property.”
Hughes apologizes, says signs were on public land
Hughes, who is seeking a fifth term in the 135th House District covering Easton, Redding and Weston, acknowledged removing the signs but said they were improperly placed on public property, the CT Mirror reported. “I apologize for removing them rather than contacting the police or my opponent’s campaign to remove them, and I take full responsibility and accountability for my actions,” Hughes said in a statement quoted by the outlet.
Hughes told the CT Mirror that police “showed up at our house at 10 p.m.” and that she handed over a pile of signs from several campaigns, including Gov. Ned Lamont’s. In a separate statement reported by News 12 Connecticut, Hughes said, “No one is above the law, even lawmakers,” adding that the system was working “to demonstrate what accountability can look like.”
The Weston Democratic Town Committee said in a statement that it “finds this behavior unacceptable,” according to Weston Today.
Republicans: “Assault on free speech”
House Minority Leader Vincent Candelora, R-North Branford, said Hughes deserves her day in court, according to the CT Mirror. “But if these allegations are true, stealing her opponent’s signs to hide her own words is an assault on free speech and a serious breach of the public trust,” Candelora said in a statement quoted by the outlet. “It raises real questions about whether she is fit for office.”
Voters in the 135th District head to the polls Tuesday. The charge is a misdemeanor, and Hughes has not been convicted of any crime.
Sources
Sources cited
- https://ctmirror.org/2026/10/31/democratic-state-rep-charged-with-stealing-opponents-lawn-sign/
- https://www.wfsb.com/2026/11/01/state-rep-anne-hughes-charged-with-larceny-over-stolen-campaign-signs/
- https://www.nhregister.com/connecticut/article/easton-anne-hughes-campaign-sign-charge-22504877.php
- https://connecticut.news12.com/connecticut-lawmaker-responds-to-larceny-charge-after-opponent-tracks-missing-campaign-signs-with-airtag
- https://westontoday.news/articles/261101-hughes-charged
Sources
- Original post: Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) on X, Nov 1, 2026
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