The Washington Monument was temporally closed and a man was arrested Tuesday evening for allegedly vandalizing the Washington Monument with red paint, CNN reports. Shaun Ray Deaton, 44, of Bloomington, In., was arrested, the U.S. Park Police said. The police said he splashed red paint and wrote a profane message on the base of the monument. Deaton was initially charged with trespassing, tampering and vandalism.
National Park Service conservators have begun to remove the paint. "The top layer of paint is coming off and the pigment that seeped into the stone will be treated with many rounds of cleaning product application," the park service said. Park police asked anyone with information about the incident to report it to their tip line. The monument was open again Wednesday.