A 45-year-old man charged for vandalizing monument

Miami Beach, Florida – According to police, a man has been charged after he allegedly vandalized a monument along Ocean Drive in Miami Beach.

Police say a 45-year-old Ryan Edward Trentler was arrested on Monday and charged for applying a blow torch to a Miami Beach monument located in front of the Palace Bar & Restaurant in Miami Beach.

When police arrived at the scene, a witness who works at the Palace told police he had recorded the entire incident on his cell phone.

According to the police, the video shows Trentler actively pressing the small blow torch against the monument creating marks along its exterior.

Trentler says he was making chalk from the cork of a wine bottle and using the chalk to paint ashes on the statue. He says he didn’t apply fire to anything, and says he would like a grand jury hearing.

He has since been ordered to stay away from the monument.

A judge set his bond at $5,000.