A middle-of-the-night vandal breaks into Pa. Capitol

HARRISBURG -- The state Senate is closing its offices Monday after a vandal apparently broke into the state Capitol early Sunday and sprayed the contents of a fire extinguisher along several hallways outside the Senate's offices and chambers, according to state officials.

An email was sent Sunday to all Senate employees telling them to stay home Monday, saying a cleaning crew was attending to an area along the side of the Capitol where the Senate has offices.

Though it did not give details, the message said that at least four floors had been affected.

"Air-quality testing will also be conducted before employees report back to work," the email said.

A spokesman for the Capitol Police, who patrol the Capitol grounds, could not be reached for comment Sunday night.

In an interview, Drew Crompton, the top lawyer for Republicans who control the Senate, said the vandal broke in around 3 a.m. Sunday and used a fire extinguisher stored inside the Capitol to spray down hallways. Crompton later said the suspect was charged with a felony.

He said private offices did not appear to have been disturbed, nor was anything stolen. But he said a number of historic portraits were removed later Sunday so they could be examined for damage.

He said that the vandal, a man, had been apprehended, but he said he could provide no further details.

It was not immediately known how the vandal gained access to the Capitol, which requires all visitors to sign in at the main entrance and go through a metal detector.

Crompton said he was told only that the vandal was not a state employee, and that there did not appear to be any political or ideological motive behind the break-in.