Shaun Ray Deaton, 44, of Bloomington, Indiana, was arrested on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m., the The USA Park Police stated in a press release on Wednesday.
The person splashed purple paint and wrote a profane message on the bottom of the monument, police stated.
“Deaton was charged with trespassing, tampering and vandalism (36 CFR2.31). That is an preliminary prison cost and, because the investigation continues, there could also be further fees,” the USPP assertion stated.
Work by Nationwide Park Service conservators has begun to take away the paint, and park police requested anybody with details about the incident to name their tip line at (202) 379-4877 or [email protected].
“The highest layer of paint is coming off and the pigment that seeped into the stone can be handled with many rounds of cleansing product utility,” the Nationwide Mall unit of the Nationwide Park Service stated Wednesday on Twitter.
After years of development and repairs, the Washington Monument reopens to the general public.
The monument was open once more on Wednesday morning.
The enduring 555-foot-tall obelisk on the Nationwide Mall honors George Washington, the nation’s first president.
