Annapolis, MD – The Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Mark Bedell, is calling on the public to help identify the person responsible for repeatedly vandalizing Tyler Heights Elementary School with paint over the past several months. The most recent incident occurred last night, with the suspect painting messages on the walkway leading to the school’s main entrance and smearing paint on the school’s doors and on the intercom used to facilitate the entry of visitors to the school.
School officials are still compiling damage estimates, but the cost of replacing equipment and labor to remove the graffiti to date has reached more than $10,000. Dr. Bedell expressed his frustration over the repeated vandalism, stating that the suspect is defacing a beautiful school facility that is vital to the community.
“We have been working closely with our partners at the Annapolis Police Department on this matter, and they have been doing a great job,” Dr. Bedell said. “We simply now need the eyes and ears of the community to help solve this issue. Someone knows who is defacing this beautiful school facility, and we want to identify that person as quickly as possible. I am asking all of our families and those who live near the school to look at the images we have released and help us in this endeavor.”
In each of the incidents, the suspect has arrived and departed on foot. The incidents have all occurred at night, and at no point has the suspect gained entrance to the building or compromised the school’s security system. The suspect also has not interacted with students or staff during the incidents.
The Annapolis Police Department is actively investigating the incidents and has released images of the suspect captured on security cameras. Anyone with information should call the Annapolis Police Department at 410-260-3439 or the school at 443-482-9610.