WASHINGTON, Sept. 21 -- The U.S. Park Police said on Wednesday that a man had been charged for allegedly vandalizing the outside base of the Washington Monument with paint in the U.S. capital.

Shaun Ray Deaton, 44, of Bloomington, Indiana, was arrested Tuesday evening and charged with trespassing, tampering, and vandalism.

There may be additional charges as the investigation continues, according to the police.

National Park Service (NPS) conservators are working to remove the paint.

"The top layer of paint is coming off," the National Mall and Memorial Parks of the NPS tweeted on Wednesday. "The pigment that seeped into the stone will be treated with many rounds of cleaning product application."

The Washington Monument, a 555-foot marble obelisk that towers over Washington, D.C., at the National Mall, was built to honor George Washington, the first president of the United States.

  - Xinhua