OLATHE, Kan. -- Police in suburban Kansas City say a county commissioner is charged with stealing two of his opponent's campaign signs.

Johnson County Commissioner John Toplikar was cited for misdemeanor theft after allegedly taking signs of his opponent, Calvin Hayden. Hayden's wife, Kelly, and a campaign volunteer videotaped the alleged thefts Saturday across the street from the county's election office.

Kelly Hayden notified police, who found the signs in Toplikar's possession.

The Haydens said they saw Toplikar throw signs on the ground on Friday, but were told by police that they couldn't take action unless the crime was caught on tape.

Kelly Hayden said she was up early the next day -- with a video camera.

The home video shows a man taking down a political sign for Hayden. After the man grabbed the signs, he took them to his van. Minutes later, police pulled the suspected thief over and cited him for taking the signs.

"I'm still in disbelief every time I watch it," said Calvin Hayden.

This is Hayden's first run for political office. He is a former Johnson County deputy who retired to run for the County Commission's District 6 seat against incumbent John Toplikar. He invested his retirement money into his campaign, he said. So far, he said $1,000 worth of signs have either been damaged or stolen.

Hayden said that when he arrived at the scene on Saturday to talk to police, Toplikar confronted him and accused him of stealing signs.

"I said John, that's not the case. None of my volunteers have touched your signs. The only thief here is you," Hayden said.

Hayden said he is going to press charges, hoping to prevent any more of his signs getting stolen or damaged.

Toplikar declined to comment to KCTV5 News.