Someone put a dagger into a public protest in Aurora recently, as four tires were purposely punctured on a car plastered with political statements.

Jay O'Hearn parked his car, with some of its windows posted with opinions about Pleasant Rowland and the resignation of Aurora deputy mayor Kenneth Zabriskie in front of the Aurora Inn. When he returned five days later, on Sept. 28, he found it with four flats.

O'Hearn, of Main Street, Aurora, found his tires slashed that night, just as they had been in August 2007 under similar circumstances, when he protested both Wells and the activities of Pleasant Rowland.

Some articles adorning the car this time are about Zabriskie, who had resigned on Sept. 17 to protest Wells College's alleged snubbing of the village board before donating space for a sheriff's station in one of its buildings.

One of the articles is a copy of a letter to the editor Zabriskie wrote, that says, in part, “It was paramount that at least one trustee would be looking out for the well-being of all village residents versus the Goliath (Wells College). To this end I failed and Goliath won.”

O'Hearn was supporting Zabriskie's criticism of the college's increasing clout in the village, he said.

Since finding the car on Sept. 28 with four flat tires, O'Hearn simply walked away, and the car has sat there ever since.

Shortly thereafter, the replica of a tombstone, decorated with dead roses, spider webs and a couple of pumpkins, was placed next to O'Hearn's car. It reads: “Zombie Car. The life it had has long gone by, but some refuse to let it die.”

“People don't like it there,” Cayuga County Sheriff David Gould said. “He has the right to do that until he violates the law.” Gould said there were no laws in the village to prevent the car from being parked on the street if it is being parked legally.

The car is registered, inspected, and is in a legal parking spot.

“We have no legal recourse to move that car,” Gould said. The sheriff's office did investigate the first incident but didn't turn up any suspects. The village board could write a new ordinance on parking, which might allow the car to be moved, Gould said.

It is a misdemeanor to slash the tires on someone's car, he said, and if the damage exceeds $1,000, it's a felony.

As of late Friday night, O'Hearn still hadn't reported the second round of punctures to police. If and when he does, Gould said his office will begin another investigation.

Staff writer Kathleen Barran can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 238 or kathleen.barran@lee.net