The sign has been the target of repeated thefts and acts of vandalism. (Click to enlarge)
By JOHN T. WARD
For the sixth time in 20 years, Red Bank dentist Harry Mahoney is gritting his teeth over the sign that advertises his practice at River Road and Prospect Avenue.
The sign, in the shape of a healthy molar, was busted in half early Sunday, Mahoney tells redbankgreen.
“I guess they tried to steal it,” he said of the miscreant or miscreants, “and when they couldn’t remove it, they broke it in half.”
He said he doesn’t know how it was broken. Kicked, posibly.
Mahoney has been dealing with vandals for some time, as evidenced by redbankgreen‘s archive on the subject. The last incident, an outright theft in January, 2011, came just four months after the theft that preceded it.
A woodworker as skilled with a power drill as he is with a dentist’s drill, Mahoney makes his own signs. This latest one was made of wood and anchored to the ground, but he said he’s now looking into “other materials” for a replacement.
Has he considered electrifying the sign? Putting up video cameras? How about a garland of razor wire?
“That’s too much work,” he said.
Told that he sounded unfazed by the latest attack, Mahoney shrugged it off.
“I’ve gotten used to it,” he said.