Man charged after 'Trump won' sign burned in Raleigh yard

Raleigh police have charged a man caught on camera setting fire to a sign expressing support for former President Donald Trump.

James Dennis White is charged with two counts of damage to real property.

Nest home surveillance video posted on Twitter (X) shows a man leaning over the sign, which reads "Trump won," around 4:30 a.m. on Aug. 15 with a lighter.

Raleigh businessman John Kane Jr., who owns the property on Alleghany Drive, posted the video and a previous clip that shows the cyclist stopping in front of the sign and kicking it on Aug. 12.

A court document states White "confessed to both crimes on separates dates." It also states White was "polite and cooperative" and "remorseful in what he did."

Damaging or destroying a political sign is a Class 3 misdemeanor and can result in a fine, community service or jail time.

WRAL News has reached out to White with a request for an interview. He has not returned our calls.

Raleigh police told WRAL News they are aware of a threat made against White.

White's charges come after Kane filed a civil lawsuit, which identified the bicyclist he believes set fire to a sign in his yard.

Kane is a Republican and son of the prominent Triangle-area developer, who ran for chairman of the NCGOP.

Several nights later, Kane's camera captured a bicyclist believed to be the same person burning the sign and moving an American flag out of the way.

"The audacity of that is frightening," Kane told WRAL News. "There are lots of signs I see I don’t care for. But I’ve not set one on fire."

Kane turned in the video to the Raleigh Police Department.

After posting a $1,000 reward, Kane said his lawyer was contacted by a man who claimed to have identified the vandal. The man said he'd matched the times from the security video to a Strava profile belonging to a bicyclist.

Kane will be represented by Raleigh-based attorney James R. Lawrence III.

Raleigh police are investigating the incidents reported by Kane and four other cases of campaign sign vandalism in the city so far this year. For comparison, there were 22 cases of political signs reported damaged, stolen or burned in the last presidential year of 2020.

Kane told WRAL News he wants to see arson charges.

"I think what he did was abhorrent," Kane said. "Fortunately, nobody was harmed ... but there’s no doubt that it has deeply concerned my wife and stressed her significantly."

A court document states "White packed an unusual accessory for an endurance athlete" during his pre-dawn bike ride on Aug. 15.

"White did bring the lighter to enjoy an early morning smoke," the document states. "Having failed to kick over [Kane's] sign during his earlier encounter with the inanimate object, White had resolved to set the sign on fire instead."

In Monday's interview with WRAL News, Kane said he has already replaced the sign, which was spray painted multiple times before it was burned. He said the old sign was burned twice, on Aug. 15 and Aug. 18.

"The vandalism started many months ago," he said. "It was spray painted, I believe, three times, [and] knocked over once or twice. I realize it’s a controversial sign, but I think it’s important for each side in our country to have a voice."

According to his campaign website, Kane lives in Raleigh with his wife and three children and graduated from North Carolina State University.