WHITLEY CITY, ky. (WKYT) - Todd Hansford says he bought 100 “vote yes” signs with his own money…yet most of the 50 he set up himself… have disappeared.

“Of the 50 I set up, we have 4 signs left. They were pulled up and replaced with “no” signs within 48 hours of being put out,” said Hansford.

He says he and others supporting the alcohol referendum are being targeted. And the owners of at least two pizza places say they’ve received threatening phone calls.

“It (the caller) said ‘you vote wet, we’ll burn it down.’ I don’t understand, because I don’t have a vote yes or a vote no sign,” said Milton Blankenship of Ace & Co. Pizza in Whitley City.

Mark Sewell has a vote no sign at the Dairy Bar Restaurant. He says he doesn’t know who is resorting to the negative campaign..but he says it’s not coming from him. In fact he says some of his “vote no” signs have been stolen as well.

“I noticed yesterday morning when I was leaving here to go to church, the (vote no) sign was gone out of my yard. I got to church, and we had a 5 foot banner there and it was taken out of the church yard,” said Sewell.

The McCreary County sheriff’s office says they have not been asked to look into the alleged thefts or threats. A spokesperson there said they tend to get several reports during every election of campaign signs being taken.