An Arkansas man has been arrested for plowing a vehicle into the Ten Commandments monument on the grounds of the State Capitol in Little Rock less than a day after it was installed.
Michael Reed of Van Buren is accused of destroying the moment around 5:15 a.m. Wednesday, according to Fox 16 News. He posted a video on his Facebook page depicting the incident and featuring only one word: “Freedom.”
The 32-year-old was arrested in 2014 for driving into a Ten Commandments monument at the Oklahoma Capitol. Reed told authorities that Satan made him crash his car into the statue, and that he was bipolar and had been off his medication. He was ordered to undergo a psychiatric evaluation.
The Arkansas monument was installed on Tuesday, having gone through a final stage of approval last month. The approval by the Capitol Arts and Grounds Commission was largely a formality because the Arkansas General Assembly had passed legislation in 2015 allowing for the privately-funded monument.
The display has been a source of controversy and the American Civil Liberties Union of Arkansas has threatened to sue. Earlier this year, state lawmakers blocked a proposal for a Baphomet statue pushed by the Satanic Temple as a response to the Ten Commandments monument.
The Ten Commandments monument is a replica of one at the Texas Capitol that was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2005.
Plans are already under way to replace the destroyed monument, according to ABC News.
On Tuesday, backers of the monument, including Republican state Sen. Jason Rapert, had celebrated its installation.
Controversial #TenCommandmentsMonument built on Arkansas state capitol grounds https://t.co/B29wBTAz0B via @USATODAY #History pic.twitter.com/ZpQ6ad7rr5
— Jason Rapert (@jasonrapert) June 27, 2017
Thou shalt lock up Mr. Reed and throweth away the key.