PANTERA Street Sign In Mesa Lures Metalheads

April 15, 2008

EastValleyTribune.com reports that Pantera Avenue street signs (photo) in Mesa, Arizona have the distinction of being the citys most-stolen street signs. Derek Witting, the citys field operations superintendent, said Pantera signs from various locations have been stolen more than three dozen times in recent years.

Pantera means "panther" in Italian and Spanish. Besides being an extinct Italian sports car, Pantera was also the name of a popular heavy metal band from the 1980s and 1990s.

The group came to an end on Dec. 8, 2004, when guitarist Dimebag Darrell was killed on stage by a deranged fan.

Linda Roth, a Pantera Avenue resident, said she thinks the streets connection to the heavy metal band and the sports car helps attract thieves and vandals.

To help thwart these crimes, Witting said the Pantera Avenue sign on the west side of Country Club Drive between Guadalupe and Elliot roads was suspended 18 feet above the ground about two years ago. Witting said that sign in particular was repeatedly stolen until it was put on the elevated post.

Stuart MacDonald has lived near that intersection on Pantera Avenue since 1994.

"Every sign they have put up has been stolen," he said. "The one that stayed the longest was the one they actually framed and welded to the light post."

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