SALUDA COUNTY, S.C. — Residents near Lake Murray have been buzzing about red cross markings they see painted on stop signs and others, along with the words “Jesus was here” and “Jesus is King" written in black on parts of the road in the area of Saluda County and Batesburg near Highway 378.
Locals want to know who is responsible and if it's allowed.
The Saluda County Sheriff’s Office said earlier this week that it has received calls about the markings and they’re investigating. However, right now, they do not have any leads.
A spokesperson for the South Carolina Highway Patrol said they don’t typically get involved with signs unless one is knocked over in an accident, where they would then contact the South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) to replace it.
SCDOT said in a statement that:
"We would generally discourage folks from leaving messages or drawings on traffic signs or other roadway infrastructure, as it may cause damage. Markings on signs could also result in traffic safety issues.”
Locals have their own ideas regarding why the marks and words are located on the roads and signs. Some speculate the markings could be related to deaths.
"My dad and I are thinking that maybe it might be because someone might have passed away there and somebody was trying to do a memorial kind of thing, be something like that, maybe it was church affiliated," Saluda County resident Jonathan Owens said.
News19 found some of the markings at the intersection of Sardis and Matthews roads and on Patchwork Road, all of which were located next to a cemetery or church.
"I don’t think you should be marking up road signs, but, I mean, I don’t know, I think it’s kind of harmless because they’re not taking away from the full picture of the sign," Owens said.
As for whether it's a legal issue. The state's laws do generally address the matter.
According to the South Carolina Code of Laws Section 56-5-1030:
"No person shall willfully without lawful authority attempt to or in fact alter, deface, injure, knock down or remove an official traffic control device or a railroad sign or signal or its inscriptions, shield or insignia."
If found guilty, a person can be fined up to $1,000 or imprisoned for up to five years.