A man was literally caught red-handed and is now facing criminal charges after vandalizing the Washington Monument with paint, according to police.
United States Park Police say 44-year-old Shaun Ray Deaton of Bloomington, Indiana, defaced an area at the base of the monument Wednesday night.
Deaton allegedly wrote graffiti and threw red paint onto the west side of the monument, which stands 550 feet tall.
The graffiti said: "Have you been f--ked by this" with an arrow pointing up. "Gov says tough s--t."
Deaton was taken into custody at the scene and is facing charges of trespassing, tampering and vandalism.
The U.S. Park Police guard the Washington Monument after a vandal wrote graffiti and threw red paint against the base of the structure on September 21, 2022 in Washington, DC.Getty Images
"This is an initial criminal charge and, as the investigation continues, there may be additional charges," police said.
The National Mall landmark is temporarily closed while conservators work on restoring the monument, a process that could take several weeks. It's not clear how public visitation will be affected by the cleanup.
"At first light, our Monument Preservation crew got to work on the Washington Monument," National Mall NPS said on Twitter Thursday morning. "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."
"A week of sunlight will also help return the monument to its usual impressive state," National Mall NPS added. "Thanks to our expert team for their hard work."
