Kurt Gehlbach, a candidate for Sedona mayor, called the Sedona Police Department’s non-emergency number on July 21, at 9:56 p.m., alleging that political signs belonging to him were taken at an unknown time from Windsong Trailer Park on State Route 89A.

⬛ EDITOR’S NOTE We reported July 29 that a candidate for Sedona mayor, Kurt Gehlbach, was involved in a police incident on July 21. We told readers we attempted to obtain the police report and publish it prior to the Aug. 2 election, but the documents related to the incident were not released by police until Aug. 3.

Gehlbach reportedly told police that he last saw the signs the day prior. Approximately four minutes later, Gehlbach called back, “stating in effect, a ‘Mexican’ threw rocks at his maroon 4-door Jeep,” according to the July 21 police report.

Dispatch put Gehlbach on hold, but he then reportedly hung up, the report stated.

Gehlbach had left the area before a police officer arrived. The officer contacted a male and female witness. The officer reported the man said he was working on his truck when Gehlbach arrived on the private property of the Windsong Trailer Park in his maroon Jeep. The man reported Gehlbach “got out and stormed up to him calling him a ‘[expletive] Mexican’ and asking “did you steal my signs?’”

According to the report, the woman said she was walking her dog when Gehlbach “charged towards her yelling in a harsh voice, ‘Was it you that stole my signs?’”

She reportedly told police that Gehlbach “was very angry and pounding the signs into the ground,” repeating the F word loudly over and over.

She reportedly told police “Gehlbach’s behavior scared her.”

The woman reportedly said she believed the manager should be the one to call police but was advised by the officer “that if Gehlbach came back, or anyone else and she felt afraid to call the police.”

Both witnesses told police “Gehlbach’s behavior was unprovoked. Neither said they threw rocks and have no idea why he said that to the dispatcher.”

“If [I] threw anything, it was words,” the man reportedly told police. The woman said she was just walking the dog.

Both witnesses stated Gehlbach also allegedly said, “All of you Mexicans need to go to jail.”

The man provided police with three photos of Gehlbach’s vehicle parked on the private property of the trailer park, which were added into evidence.

Both witnesses said they don’t remember seeing any other signs on the property other than signs of mayoral candidate Samaire Armstrong, who got personal permission from the property owner to post her signs on the property.

The witnesses said they would like for Gehlbach to not be allowed to come back, which would require the owner or a representative to formally cite Gehlbach for trespassing.

The woman said she called the trailer park manager, who also lives in the park. Though he did not witness the incident, he said Gehlbach was gone by the time he got to the front of the property.

He said both witnesses are good tenants, stick to themselves and “they are not liars.”

While police were speaking with the manager, a white 2014 Subaru Impreza with tinted windows and a Kurt Gehlbach magnet on the driver’s side door pulled into the left turn lane in front of the trailer park. The driver, Bhairavi G. Patel, exited the vehicle. The officer asked if she knew where Gehlbach was.

Patel reportedly told police she came there to find him. She did not want to talk after the officer explained that there was not a clear determination about the property line.

The officer “advised Patel to let Gehlbach know that regardless of the uncertainty of property lines, it was his behavior as a mayoral candidate towards community members that was so shocking and unacceptable.”

The officer reportedly told Patel, “she could leave the signs, or take them, but that I could not determine if they were in violation or not.”

Patel reportedly said, “it was best to take the Gehlbach signs with her; stating she was his representative and that she would either place them somewhere else or just give them to Kurt.” Then Patel left the scene.

Patel was chairwoman of Gehlbach’s 2020 election campaign.

Another resident arrived at the park and told police he did not remember seeing any of Gehlbach’s signs. He said he only knows of the signs belonging to Armstrong who got personal permission to post the signs on the property.

Police left a voicemail for Gehlbach. By the end of shift on Friday, July 29, police had not gotten a call back from Gehlbach.

Online Commentary

On Sunday, July 31, Gehlbach posted on his Facebook page a 179-minute audio conversation with Levi Holiman.

In regards to the July 29 news story of the altercation, Gehlbach told Holiman, “they don’t have the whole story because I haven’t said anything.”

The portion of the July 29 article to which Holiman and Gehlbach subsequently refer:

⬛ On July 21, Sedona mayoral candidate Kurt Gehlbach called police at 9:56 p.m. to report political signs allegedly being stolen in front of Windsong Trailer Park at 2466 W SR 89A. Officers arrived on scene after Gehlbach had left. Police reportedly learned from witnesses that Gehlbach “was using offensive and vulgar language towards residents of the trailer park accusing them of stealing his signs.” The residents declined to pursue criminal charges for disorderly conduct, but did not want Gehlbach to return. Last week, the Sedona Red Rock News formally requested the police reports and all other records related to this call which were not available by press time. The NEWS will follow up with these public records when they are made available.

“I was on [the] property trying to put up signs … and six of them had been taken down,” Gehlbach alleged. “There was a lady walking a dog and I noticed she was checking me out when I was finishing putting, or trying to put the signs up again … I thought, ‘OK, let’s ask her,’ ‘do you know who took my signs down?’”

Gehlbach went back to putting up his signs, then stated a man began talking to the manager on the phone. Gehlbach said the manager wasn’t coming to speak with him.

“I’m getting irritated ’cause this takes time — a lot of my time. And this is probably 8, 9 o’clock at night” — 9:50 p.m., according to the police report. “Usually I’m out 2, 3, 4 in the morning,” Gehlbach told Holiman.

“Then it gets heated, because I’m trying to explain to these two, that this is OK for me to do this, this [is] legal and they’re interrupting me the whole time,” Gehlbach said. “They will not let me try to — and they understood English — and he would not let me try to explain this.”

“Then the manager gets on the phone. He wouldn’t even come out,” Gehlbach said. “So I said to him straight out, don’t touch these signs don’t touch these ‘F’n’ signs.”

“I started using that word,” Gehlbach said. “It’s a good word for me sometimes, because when I get frustrated like that, I’m gonna express it and people need to know ’cause we need to draw the line here. This is ridiculous. I don’t even know if these people that I was dealing with — and these are the Mexicans in town at Windsong — and I don’t have disrespect for anyone, but if you’re gonna shut me down and not listen to me, and treat me disrespectfully, and then eventually throw rocks at my car, you’re damn right. I’m gonna get upset.”

The police report made no mention of rocks being thrown.

“I called the police about it the first time they didn’t show up in time. So I called a second time and I said, now these son-of-[explicative] are throwing rocks at me,” Gehlbach claimed.

There was no additional police reports of rocks nor any subsequent police reports of alleged damage to Gehlbach’s Jeep provided by Sedona police in the records request.

“I mean, dear God, do I have to deal with this? After I’ve given 26 years to this town,” Gehlbach said. “I should never be disrespected like this. No one should, so I left. I wasn’t gonna stick around and wait. I’ve got too much to do. I’m tired. I need to get to sleep.”

Later in conversations with Holiman, Gehlbach said, “I think what we need to do is evaluate what’s going on over in Windsong, because quite frankly, what I had to deal with, I’m not gonna deal with anymore.”

“I’m done. I reached that point in life where, why should I have to deal with others coming into our country? And treating us so disrespectfully?” Gehlbah said. “So we, as a community will need to see what we need to do with Windsong.”

Windsong is private property. The trailer park predates the city of Sedona.

After discussing the witnesses, Gehlbach said of the residents of Windsong, “They need to also realize that we’re a community. And if you’re not gonna be part of it, if you’re gonna create problems, if you’re gonna lie, if you’re gonna cheat, if you’re gonna steal, if you’re gonna mislead, that’s not what I want in Sedona.”

“I didn’t get physical with anybody,” Gehlbach said. “You know, I used the F word and I didn’t get physical with anyone. And quite frankly, if I’m dealing with white trash, I’m gonna deal with white trash, the way white trash needs to be dealt with. And I’m not talking about any nationality, any color here, I’m talking about people who just lie deceive and don’t give a damn.

On election day, Aug. 2, Gehlbach earned 14.58% of the vote, in fourth place of four candidates. He will not advance to the November runoff.