Gazette photo by Steve Morris The wall housing a dumpster between Edina Reality and Golden Crown Restaurant on Frontage Road in Stillwater is marked with graffiti. Numerous locations across Stillwater and Oak Park Heights were tagged this last week.

Stillwater and Oak Park Heights police are investigating a flood of graffiti reports over the last week that have left community members frustrated.

In black- and silver-colored spray paint, the No. 420, with a smiley face in the zero and what appears to be the letters KKK were written on several locations throughout Oak Park Heights and Stillwater last week.

In Stillwater Mayor Ken Harycki's opinion, the marks, especially the racially charged ones, are nothing more than kids looking for attention.

"My feeling is that it is a kid trying to go for shock value - at least I hope that is what it is," he said, adding later, "The writing looks young."

Oak Park Heights Deputy Chief Brian DeRosier said as many as two dozen places in the city have been vandalized and the number could be higher, as he was still going through reports. There seems to be no apparent pattern to the vandalism - signs, sides of cars and city walls were hit. DeRosier said expletives aimed at the police were also reported.

DeRosier agreed with Harycki that it may be kids and has Dave Kisch, School Resource Officer at Stillwater Area High School, looking into the incidents. Information will be posted in the high school to help stir up leads, DeRosier said.

Stillwater locations recently marked with graffiti include, but are not limited to, The Lowell Inn, a city retaining wall on the north side of the Historic Court House, a city retaining wall on Fifth Street and Hazel Street and a wall at the entrance at Ark of Angles Preschool on the corner of Willard Street and South Second Street.

At Ark of Angles Preschool, vandals spray-painted over a color wall with children's hand prints artistically displayed. The school has since repainted the surface.

Diane Polley, administrative assistant at the St. Croix Catholic School, said it was disappointing for the kids to see their handprints ruined.

A manager at The Lowell Inn - who did not want to reveal her name to the paper - said she wouldn't be surprised if it happens again once the markings are removed from the building. She is no rush to paint over the graffiti.

"It's frustrating, all you want to do is keep your property clean just like everyone else around town," she said.

Asked how many times the Lowell Inn has been vandalized, she said: "I don't event want to count. There isn't much we can do."

Stillwater Police Sgt, Jeff Magler said it appears to be two different individuals acting in Stillwater. The second person appears to write in a more artistic form. He said the work appears to look like either "smash" or "crash."

"It's more of a designer tag," he said.

Alone, the incidents would constitute misdemeanor criminal damage to property. But because of the volume, it may become a felony, Magler explained.

Harycki said he will speak with Stillwater Police Chief John Gannaway and City Attorney Dave Magnuson about options the city has in preventing further graffiti from marring city property and local establishments.

At this time neither department has any leads on the case. Anyone with information should contact the Stillwater police at 651-351-4900 or the Oak Park Heights police at 651-439-4723.