A well known Council Bluffs monument was hit by vandals earlier this week. It is known as the Black Angel and is a tribute to Ruth Anne Dodge, wife of General Grenville Dodge. Council Bluffs Parks Director, Larry Foster, says the vandals caused about $400 in damage.

He says the vandalism was mostly spray painting. Foster says the bottom half of the statue was painted red and there were also swastikas and the phrase "Die 666" painted in various places on the retaining wall. This isn’t the first time the Black Angel has been vandalized.

Foster says they are discussing taking steps to avoid this kind of activity in the future. Foster says they’re talking to other people who have had similar problems and are discussing a camera, or an additional light.

The Black Angel was designed by Daniel Chester French, the same man who designed the Abraham Lincoln in the Lincoln Memorial. The monument is now clean of graffiti and city officials hope it stays that way.