Suspect arrested after Washington Monument vandalized

The United States Park Police said Wednesday that it has made an arrest in the vandalizing of the Washington Monument in Washington, D.C. 

A vandal Tuesday evening splashed red paint on the 555-foot-tall obelisk and used the paint to write what appears to be an anti-government message, resulting in the temporary closing of the structure.

Officials have identified the person arrested in connection with incident as Shaun Ray Deaton, 44, of Bloomington, Indiana.

He faces criminal charges of vandalism, tampering and trespassing at the National Mall, in the nation's capital, but additional charges may be added, the National Park Service stated.

The agency's Monument Preservation crew worked to remove the paint early Wednesday 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," officials said.