Police say one of two men suspected of vandalizing the Joe Louis fist sculpture with white paint is an elected official.

Brett James Cashman, 45, is a parks commissioner for Washtenaw County's Superior Township.

Cashman and a second man, 28-year-old John Timothy Price of Ypsilanti, were stopped by police in the suburb of Romulus and brought back to Detroit after authorities were tipped off by a motorist, Romulus police Lt. Cora Semrau said.

FIST VANDALISM SLIDESHOW: Vandals Target Detroit Landmark Good Samaritan Calls 911 To Report 'Fist' Vandals Neighbors Of Suspected Vandal Shocked

The motorist, who saw two men covered with white paint driving out of Detroit before dawn, followed them while calling state police on his cell phone, Semrau said.

Neighbors of Cashman were surprised of the allegations against him, Local 4 reported.

"He's not the kind of person that would do … some sort of adolescent stunt," said one Superior Township resident.

Kay Williams, a spokesperson for the Superior Township Charter Board of Trustees, released the following written statement Monday:

"On behalf of the Superior Charter Township Board of Trustees, we do not condone criminal activity in any way shape or form. We are saddened by the allegations of a Superior Township resident being arrested for an alleged crime. Superior Charter Township is a diverse community and this crime is not reflective of its residents."

Cashman is also a member of the Libertarian Party, which reportedly claims to be the only political party dedicated to both individual freedom and responsibility. Cashman has served eight years on the board in Superior Township.

Cashman and Price are to be arraigned Tuesday on charges of malicious destruction of property, police spokeswoman Malika Nixon said.

The elected official could face additional charges if it's found that the paint allegedly used to deface the sculpture belonged to the township, Local 4 reported.

Cashman was scheduled to appear at a board meeting Monday at 7:30 p.m. It was not known if he would attend the meeting, the station reported.

Vandalism Fuels Community Concerns

Firefighters used high-powered hoses to remove the gloss paint from the sculpture. Workers later removed the remaining paint after consulting with the Detroit Institute of Arts, so as not to damage the piece.

The 8,000-pound sculpture, a 24-foot-long arm with a fist suspended from a frame, is an important landmark both because it represents a hometown hero and because many people view it as an assertion of black political power and triumph over injustice.

Some residents believed the vandalism was a symbolic reaction to recent violent crimes in the city, including the shooting deaths of two police officers, Local 4 reported.

"I thought it was a needless thing to do. But, it's probably a reaction from the suburbs for the killing of the two cops, because they took a black fist and put white paint over it so possibly that was the reason behind it," said Sarah Redmond, a Detroit resident.

Detroit police spokesman Glenn Woods said there was no reason to believe the vandalism was racially motivated, though he acknowledged it was a possibility. Louis, who died in 1981, was black.

"Maybe these guys don't like Detroit or they have something against Joe Louis," Woods said.

Born Joseph Louis Barrow on May 13, 1914, in Lexington, Ala., the future boxer's family moved to Detroit seeking jobs at the auto plants when he was 12. Louis' first professional fight was July 4, 1934, and in 1936, he suffered his first professional loss at the hands of Germany's Max Schmeling. A rematch was set for June 22, 1938, at Yankee Stadium in New York. The whole country huddled around radios to listen.