Vandals hit Cedar Rapids neighborhood for third consecutive day

Vandals struck a northwest Cedar Rapids neighborhood Monday -- for the third day in a row. And this time, their derogatory graffiti is a little harder to get rid of for one family.

The vandals are targeting homes in the Stoney Point neighborhood.  Police have responded to at least four calls there in the past three days.  In each case, neighbors discovered the letters KKK painted on their car, mailbox or garage.

"This morning my son left for school, he called me from the car and told us to check the garage door. We walked out and found the graffiti,” said Tammy Koolbeck, the latest victim in the rash of vandalism.

Koolbeck says just like the markings on her garage, her shock hasn't quite gone away either.

"I'm just astounded,” said Koolbeck. "We hadn't heard at that point who had gotten hit. We just knew it was in the Stoney Point neighborhood."

Koolbeck said she tried to use the incident as a teachable moment with her kids.  While other neighbors managed to wash the markings off, Koolbeck says she'll need a new coat of paint.

"For us it's kind of a hardship, we have a garage door now that's stained and can't be painted until it gets warmer,” she said.

Until that happens, duct tape covers the leftover markings on her garage door.

Police suspect the vandal or vandals are likely teenagers.  They doubt there is any threat to people living in the neighborhood.

"We appreciate when we get calls about that kind of damage, so we can focus on that area of town,” said Sgt. Cristy Hamblin with Cedar Rapids Police.

Neighbors tell us they've had costly bouts of criminal mischief before, but this has crossed a line.

"We live in Iowa, we live in the 21st century,” said Koolbeck. “I just don't understand."