Kelowna cenotaph defaced by man scribbling graffiti

A man who allegedly defaced a Kelowna, B.C. war memorial with black marker pen will appear in court Friday facing charges of mischief and resisting arrest.

It took several police officers to arrest the man Thursday afternoon, as he allegedly scribbled on the cenotaph in City Park.

City of Kelowna bylaw manager Greg Wise told CBC News his staff spotted a man furiously writing on the war memorial.

"He was not responsive to the officers' commands to stop, and he continued to deface the cenotaph," Wise said.

The RCMP were called, but the man also refused to heed their commands to stop.

"We are not really sure if he was under the influence of alcohol or drugs, or if there was an issue with regard to his mental state," Wise said. 

"He was again quite combative once they took him under arrest and it took several officers to get him into the patrol car."

City crews have so far been unable to remove the graffiti from the porous rock surface.