The Mesa County Sheriff's Office says the warm weather may be to blame for a spike in criminal mischief and vandalism.

Pastor Dennis West of Life Academy off of 29 Road and Patterson couldn't believe his eyes when he found graffiti all over the school's playground.

West says he was able to clean off the obscene words on the slides and other parts of the equipment. He says it may have to be replaced, which would cost thousands of dollars.

A normally quiet street in the Midlands Village off of 32 Road in Clifton wasn't so quiet when someone smashed a 275 pound ceramic deer in an elederly couple's yard.

The couple said they were "just sick" that someone would break the sculpture.

It wasn't a sculpture at Record Management System's warehouse, but a broken window and graffiti that is frustrating the owner.

The Mesa County Sheriff's Office says there are two reason why crime tends to spike around Spring and Summer every year. One--the warmer weather brings more people outside, and two--teens are out of school.

Spokesperson Heather Benjamin says it's a similar pattern every year but overall, she says crime has fallen in Mesa County.

She says a majority of vandalism cases go unsolved because there are usually no eyewitnesses. Benjamin says the best things you can do to protect yourself are to bring in your belongings or tie them down in the yard so they can't be stolen or tipped over, or start a neighborhood watch program.

The sheriff's office doesn't believe the cases are connected because of the distance between the incidents. If you have any information about these cases call Crimestoppers at 241–STOP.

If you would like to donate to Life Academy to help replace the equipment, call 242–9431.