Campus and Bowling Green Police have received more than 50 reports of graffiti or tagging both downtown and on campus in the last three weeks.

The incidents aren’t gang-related, but appear to be part of a “tag war,” said Officer Barry Pruitt, Bowling Green Police Department public information officer.

A man who’s been arrested told police he was competing with another individual he didn’t know to see how many buildings they could mark, Pruitt said.

There have been two arrests, one juvenile and one adult, Hideyosi Keogh, 19, of Bowling Green, according to a BGPD press release.

Keogh was arrested on Oct. 6 and charged with first-degree criminal mischief. He was released from Warren County Regional Jail on Oct. 8 on a $7,500 bond, according to jail records.

Damage at Western includes tagging on Parking Structure 1 and on bathroom walls, stalls and mirrors in Thompson Complex North and Central wings, according to Pruitt and police records.

A plain-clothes police detective came into contact with four people who were looking at graffiti, according to the release. Police had no reason to further detain them, and released them but felt they were possibly involved.

Keogh admitted to the tagging during an Oct. 6 interview, and showed detectives about 10 locations he had spray painted around downtown Bowling Green, according to the release.

City and campus police have been working together to investigate the tagging, which has caused thousands of dollars of damage in the city and on campus, Pruitt said.

There should be more arrests to come, and the investigation is continuing, he said.

“Graffiti is not art – graffiti is a crime that costs communities thousands of dollars to clean up,” he said. “If allowed to remain, it sends a message that the community is unconcerned about its appearance.”

Maj. Mike Wallace, campus police field operations commander, couldn’t be reached for comment.

Sharon Milam, a building services attendant who found tagging in the third floor men’s room of the Fine Arts Center on Oct. 1, said she was shocked when she saw the damage.

She said it was the first time she’d ever seen anything like it since she started working at Western in September 2007.

Reach Michelle Day at news@chherald.com.