61-8-713. Injury to or removal of sign or marker as misdemeanor -- penalty -- definition. (1) A person who maliciously injures, defaces, damages, or removes any sign, signal, or marker, either temporarily or permanently erected on the right-of-way of any secondary, state, or interstate highway for warning, instruction, or information of the public, is guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction shall be punished by a fine of $250, by imprisonment in the county jail for a period not exceeding 60 days, or both. This section applies to secondary, state, or interstate highways that are completed and to secondary, state, or interstate highways that are under construction or repair.

(2) A person may not, without lawful authority, attempt to or in fact alter, deface, injure, knock down, or remove any official traffic control device or any railroad sign or signal or any inscription, shield, or insignia on or part of the sign or device.

(3) As used in this section, "railroad sign or signal" means any sign, signal, or device erected by authority of a public body or official or by a railroad and intended to give notice of the presence of railroad tracks or the approach of a railroad train or other on-track equipment.