'Welcome to Flanders' sign a victim of fowl play after replacing one stolen last year

A sign honoring the rich duck farming heritage of Flanders was found damaged Tuesday, less than a year after it replaced a version that had been stolen.

It's located at the corner of Pleasure Drive and County Road 105 and replaced the previous version, which was stolen in the overnight hours between Feb. 9 and 10 last year. Afterward, the police announced a cash reward, hoping to develop leads in their efforts to nab the person or persons responsible for stealing the sign but have made no arrests.

Angela Huneault, president of the Flanders Riverside Northampton Community Association, said the sign is likely broken beyond repair.

The left corner, she said, is broken off and there is a major crack on the right corner of the sign.

“I'm beside myself,” she said. “I went to look at the sign and literally just sat on the rock staring at it on the ground broken for half an hour. What do I do? Where do we go from here?”

In addition, the street sign for nearby Pleasure Drive was stolen, authorities said.

Both incidents, police said, are believed to have occurred within the past few days.

Last May, the $7,000 sign was unveiled by Southampton Town officials, members of the Flanders Riverside Northampton Community Association and representatives of insurance giant Aflac, which paid for it.

The whereabouts of the original sign, which had stood at the corner for about 15 years, remain unknown, officials said.

It's not immediately clear, Huneault said, if there are surveillance camera images available of the site.

Southampton Town detectives are asking anyone with information regarding the recent theft or property damage to call 631-702-2230.

By Robert Brodsky

robert.brodsky@newsday.com@BrodskyRobert

Robert Brodsky is a breaking news reporter who has worked at Newsday since 2011. He is a Queens College and American University alum.