Two virtually identical taggings hit Ione on separate occasions a week apart in what Police Chief Michael Johnson called "wannabe" gang affiliations.

"We suspect it is a student from the junior high, but have not developed any definitive information to support that," Johnson said.

The first incident took place at the skate park in Howard Park with gang-related affiliations suggested in the graffiti, along with monikers and symbols that suggest the vandals are young and not well accomplished, Johnson said. The second tagging occurred at Ione Junior High School.

"Foot patrols have been increased at the higher profile areas of town," Johnson said. "(The) Ione Police Department has been proactive in attempting to get information from the community."

City manager Kim Kerr said she was "disappointed" that someone was defacing community facilities with graffiti and hoped that residents would help to make it stop.

"We are counting on citizens to let us know if they know anything about this," she said.

Gang intelligence units from Mule Creek State Prison, the Sacramento Police Department and other local agencies have aided in providing input on the tag symbols and any affiliations to a gang they may carry. Johnson said that taggers tend to strike in unalarmed, unoccupied areas, do their damage and move on, making for a nuisance crime that is difficult for law enforcement to prevent. "Clean up is costly and labor intensive," he added.

This is the first incident of its kind in Ione, according to Kerr. Earlier incidents of vandalism involving spray paint and fake blood occurred on the streets in the Edgebrook neighborhood six months ago, but show no connection to the latest incidents. "It's not a common thing," Kerr said.

Kerr said the city is tracking all costs associated with the crimes so that when the perpetrators are caught, there will be an accurate accounting for damages the city intends to collect. "These taggers will be held responsible and pay us restitution for our cost," she added.

While the investigation remains ongoing, leads are diminishing, according to Johnson. If caught, the vandals will be charged with felony vandalism.