Bainbridge Police arrested an 18-year-old Bainbridge High School senior at the school Friday morning, in connection with the Wednesday vandalism of police vehicles at the Winslow Way station.

The student was booked into Kitsap County Jail on charges of felony malicious mischief. According to the police statement, police expect more arrests to follow in the ongoing vandalism investigation.

Deputy Police Chief Mark Duncan said evidence from the execution of three search warrants helped lead police to the suspect. Searches were conducted of a residence and vehicle, and one was executed to collect DNA evidence, Duncan said.

Sometime between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m. on Wednesday, vandals dumped and sprayed paint on eight Bainbridge Police vehicles at the station on Winslow Way. Tires were also slashed on several of the vehicles. An initial estimate put damage at $12,000, though that number is expected to climb as repairs to the parking lot are completed.

According to Duncan, the two on-duty officers were patrolling for vandals elsewhere on the island when the crimes occurred at the station. No one was on duty inside the police building at the time, and the station’s parking lot has no security fence or cameras.

Bainbridge Police have a fleet of 27 vehicles, but most are parked at officers’ homes at night. Police Chief Matt Haney’s car was also vandalized in the driveway of his island home, the same night the station was struck.

“It showed that someone knew where he lived, and someone wanted to make it personal,” Duncan said.

The Wednesday morning spree marked the peak of more than a week of vandalism attributed to BHS seniors. For decades members of the graduating class have painted messages on intersections, signs and landmarks as part of a “paint night” tradition.

Police and school officials this week agreed that this year’s acts of vandalism represented an unprecedented level of destructiveness.

Painted messages have been left at dozens of island intersections. A hand-carved wooden sign welcoming motorists onto the island at Agate Pass bridge was slathered with an “08,” and the high school’s parking lot and rubberized track received similar treatment.

A small, homemade explosive device was also detonated in a portable bathroom on school grounds last week.

Bainbridge Island School District Superintendent Ken Crawford responded to the vandalism in a letter to families Wednesday afternoon.

“This behavior is an insult to the community and our schools, and the vast majority of students recognize it as such,” Crawford wrote.

He said the crimes were likely the work of a small number of students and that the community “must take care to not condemn an entire class of some 350 students for the criminal conduct of a few.”

Those sentiments were echoed in a statement by BHS principal Brent Peterson Thursday. Peterson said Saturday graduation ceremonies would proceed as planned.

Still, the rash of vandalism cast a cloud over the final week of school for Bainbridge High School seniors.

On Friday afternoon, the class of 2008 worked to lift some of that shadow, joining together for a car wash on High School Road to benefit the police station.

“I feel the acts of a few have reflected badly on everyone,” said BHS senior Kaitlin Olson, who helped organize the fundraiser. “As a class we’ve done so much community service and a lot of good… we wanted to put a brighter light on what we’ve done.”