A thief stopped in broad daylight on a busy roadway to take the sign down with a saw. It all happened in front of passing motorists.

ATLANTA - Maybe it's a sign of the times or a sign of the division in Buckhead over the cityhood movement.

Workers on Wednesday replaced a large "No Buckhead City" sign that was stolen along busy West Paces Ferry Road.

It had only stood on the property for a few days, when resident Judy Garland realized it was missing.

PUSH TO ESTABLISH BUCKHEAD PUBLIC SAFETY TASK FORCE

"The instant New Year's Eve was over we got a sign and the following Wednesday that sign was taken down," Garland told FOX 5's Deidra Dukes.

The sign, provided by the Committee for a United Atlanta. The group is opposed to deannexation.

SIGNS SUPPORTING BUCKHEAD CITYHOOD DEFACED

"It was a very brazen act of larceny and theft, said CUA'S Billy Linville, "and it should be taken very seriously.

A neighbor reported witnessing the man cut down the sign with a saw just after 8 the morning of January 5, toss it into the back of his white pickup and drive off.

"it's quite a slap in the face," said Garland, "when what your intention is to be part of a community conversation and then someone just to cut the legs off of that."

The theft comes just weeks after some Buckhead residents reported their signs supporting the cityhood effort were vandalized.

"It lowers the bar on political dialogue, and we cannot allow that to happen," said Linville. "We have to have a very civilized debate about this emotional issue.  It should be based on facts and doing something that this person did really damages the dialogue in the city."

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The Cobb County Sheriff Craig Owens plans to speak one day after the deadly shooting of two deputies on Thursday night.

Officials have identified the two suspects accused of shooting and killing two Cobb County deputies while they were serving a warrant at a Marietta-area home.

Law enforcement agencies across Georgia are mourning the deaths of two Cobb County deputies ambushed while on duty Thursday night. The deputies are the first two law enforcement officers killed in Georgia this year by gunfire.

Two Cobb County sheriff’s deputies were killed in the line of duty Thursday evening. The sheriff’s office says they were shot while serving a warrant on a Marietta-area home.

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