PARKER, Colo. (KDVR) — Vandals targeted a public high school back in December. Now, law enforcement in Douglas County hope you can help track them down.

Metro Denver Crime Stoppers said the suspects were caught on camera tagging Ponderosa High School in Parker. Why did it take this long to get the word out on this very expensive act of vandalism?

The Problem Solvers took that question to Douglas County Sheriff Tony Spurlock.

In addition to tagging windows, officials said the vandals also broke windows to mobile classrooms and damaged school buses.

“This kind of vandalism is a little unique, as they did about $20,000 worth of damage,” Spurlock said.

The graffiti, Spurlock said, gave investigators a clue why this crime was committed.

“Some of the language that was sprayed on to the building appeared to be that of, obviously, derogatory but also an indication that there may be some retaliatory type of behavior,” Spurlock said.

So why wait almost four months to put out a crime alert?

“Quite frankly, I kind of asked myself that same question,” Spurlock said.

Eventually, Spurlock said, he got an answer from his detectives: They were looking into whether this vandalism, by what he called common hoodlums, was done by students from a rival school.

“Those detectives feel comfortable now that the schools that were involved with other kinds of sports events or other events at the school, we don’t believe that they were particularly involved,” Spurlock said.

If the vandals are tracked down and prosecuted, Spurlock said this felony could send them to jail and cost them financial restitution, making them responsible to pay for the damages of over $20,000.

If you know who they are, contact Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-STOP.