At least seven homeowners on Hurricane Lake Drive woke up earlier this week to find their mailboxes had been destroyed.

The calls to the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office began around 7:30 a.m. Sunday as people began to notice the vandalism. Hurricane Lake Drive is west of Jackson-Liberty Drive off Hwy. 84.

“It appears someone came through Saturday night and hit them with an unknown object,” Lincoln County Sheriff Steve Rushing said.

Rural mailboxes are a common target for vandalism because of their isolation, according to the United States Postal Inspection Service. They are often less visible to homeowners as well.

According to the inspection service, mailboxes are considered federal property. Vandalism of mailboxes carries a fine of up to $250,000 or three years in prison for each act of vandalism.

The incident is still under investigation by the sheriff’s department. Rushing said incidences of vandalism are a strain on their limited resources. One deputy spent hours Sunday documenting each act of vandalism — time that could have been spent elsewhere, Rushing said.

“We would appreciate it if parents would talk to their children about not destroying other people’s property,” he said.