JAY -- A Jay woman on Tuesday said she will not be deterred in her determination to continue collecting signatures to repeal the new gay-marriage law even after a man harassed her and defaced a petition.

"I don't mind people stopping and giving us a piece of their mind but to threaten or destroy property, that is just not right," said Gina Mitchell, 42.

"This was way out of my comfort zone, but I can't sit back and do nothing. You have to stand up for what you believe in," she said.

She said the incident occurred June 18 on the lawn in front of the Jay Town Office, which also houses the Jay Police Department, where Mitchell and another woman had set up a table.

People were signing the petition but she said there were also a fair share of rude comments from motorists, some of whom gestured obscenely at them or yelled out their car windows, she said.

"We expected that," she said.

At one point, a car pulled up sharply and the driver walked over, she said.

"He looked like he was on a mission. I could see he was agitated and he had a glare in his eye," she said.

"We asked him if he wanted to sign the petition but he took the pen and wrote an obscenity across it. He pressed down so hard he tore through the paper. Then he threw the pen at us and walked off," she said.

"I was really mad at what he had done and that he had ruined my petition," she said. "I told him we would pray for him and that we don't need any more hate but he gave me the finger and drove off."

Mitchell did not report the incident to police for several hours and was unable to provide a good description of the car or the man, according to Police Chief Larry White Jr.

"We did our best but we didn't have a timely report and were given only brief description of the car," White said.

"The fact it happened in Jay doesn't shock me because there are a lot of mixed emotions about this issue. But the fact it happened in front of the police station -- that surprises me," he said.

If the person is located, White said charges would likely be criminal mischief and disorderly conduct.

In May, Maine became the fifth state in the country to allow same-sex couples to marry.

Mitchell is one of about 600 volunteers working to collect 55,087 signatures and turn them into the Secretary of State's to get the question on the November ballot.