Republican Mike Raines and his wife Laurie are under investigation by the Michigan State Police for allegedly stealing the campaign signs of Raines’ primary opponent Tom Reich. In addition to the MSP investigation, by-the-book, tough-as-nails Eaton county prosecutor Jeff Sauter said he would ask Attorney General Mike Cox to appoint a special prosecutor to review the case. Cox and Sauter are both Republicans.

Stealing campaign signs is a misdemeanor in Michigan.

Confirmed by a story on the Lansing State Journal Web site, Reich, 53, began staking out locations where he had posted his signs because he had lost 150 of them in the past couple of weeks. Last night, at about 10:30 p.m., Reich said he observed Laurie Raines bent over one of his signs, as if removing it, and he later saw Mike Raines drive away in a van.

The Michigan State Police officer who responded to the call from Reich reported he did not see Reich’s signs in the Raines’ van.

Whoever wins the primary tonight between Reich and Raines will go on to be sheriff in November, as there is no Democratic challenger.