A number of properties were vandalized over a several-mile stretch of Hickory Flats Road late Thursday night or early Friday morning, according to Detective Jeff Kelsey, of the Grayson County Sheriff’s Department.

While the majority of damage was to mailboxes, there were signs, lights and other items damaged or destroyed as well, Kelsey said, adding that one house alone sustained nearly $3,000 worth of damage.

Some minor pieces of personal property were stolen, but there were few of these, and many more valuable items were left, leading Kelsey to believe that the intent of the perpetrators was not theft, but vandalism.

Calls began coming in from property owners on Friday morning, and many more properties were damaged than have yet been reported by the residents. Kelsey estimated that around 12 residences were vandalized altogether between the 800 block and 1500 block of Hickory Flats Road.

The Sheriff’s Department is continuing to look into the incident, and have already come across some clues in the investigation. Shoe prints were found at the scene, and an eye-witness who was in the area at around midnight saw a green 4-wheeler with a suspicious-looking group of five or six “kids” at the corner of Nelson Road and Hickory Flats Road.

The investigation is ongoing, and anyone with further information that may prove helpful is encouraged to contact the Sheriff’s Department at 259-3364 or the anonymous tip line at 270-200-2222.