A trail of paint led to the arrest of two men who allegedly splashed white paint on seven vehicles in Boulder early today.

Arrested were Boulder residents Jarrad McKay, 21, and Matthew Baker, 20, according to the Boulder Police Department.

They are being held for investigation of criminal mischief and theft.

According to investigators, a passer-by discovered a car covered with paint around 1 a.m. in the area of 17th Street and Aurora Avenue.

When Boulder officers arrived, they found five vehicles in an alley and two vehicles on the street splattered with white paint.

Police were able to follow a trail of paint to the home of one of the suspects in the 800 block of 17th Street.

There they contacted McKay and Baker, who had tell-tale signs of white paint on them, said police.

Both admitted they were involved in the vandalism and said they had stolen the paint from University Hill Elementary School, according to officers.

Anyone with additional information about the incident is asked to call Officer Chris Clark at 303-441-3333. Any additional victims are asked to call the Boulder Police Department at 303-441-3333.

Howard Pankratz: 303-954-1939 or hpankratz@denverpost.com