Decorah Police responded to a call at the Winneshiek County Democratic Party Headquarters

It's not just nationally that the 2016 election has been stirring up emotions.  Even in rural Northeast Iowa, passions are getting intense.

decorahnews.com has learned Decorah Police officers had to be called to the Winneshiek County Democratic Party headquarters at 218 West Water Street in Decorah last Friday.

Police first got a phone call from a Democratic Party staffer, reporting that a man in his late 50s with gray hair, dirty sweatshirt and stocking cap came into the Democratic Party headquarters and accused the worker of stealing a political sign off the person's vehicle.  The man eventually left the office, but the caller said the man continued to stand around outside the building.

Later Friday night, around 8:30, the office staffer came to the Police Department and said the man came back into their office when they were locking up.  He had parked his pick-up truck in front of the headquarters with manure in it and a derogatory sign on the side. 

At almost the same time, the man was flagged down in the parking lot outside the Law Enforcement Center.  He told police the accusation that the staffers had stolen his political sign "was a joke."  Police told the man that what is a "joke" to one person isn't a joke to another.  They told him to leave and to stop any such behavior in the future.

Because no charges were filed, the name of the man has not been released.