David Hearn Indicted In Washington, D.C. For Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool Property Destruction

Former Olympic canoeist David Hearn was indicted by a grand jury in Washington, D.C., for destruction of property tied to an incident at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, with U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro saying he “willfully and "violently" damaged a two-square-foot piece of sealant at the pool.”

“Olympian David Hearn indicted for alleged vandalism of Reflecting Pool Hearn, who faces a felony charge, has denied doing any damage to the pool”

ABC News

Pirro said the felony charge was filed in the District of Columbia and carries a possible maximum sentence of 10 years in prison if convicted, after Hearn was arrested on June 19 on a misdemeanor charge.

ABC News

Hearn, 67, told The Washington Post after his arrest that he was cycling when he stopped at the Reflecting Pool, reached into the water to feel a partially detached piece of blue liner, and said, "I didn't vandalize anything," adding, "I didn't destroy or break or peel anything."

CNN reported that the indictment accuses Hearn of “maliciously did injure, break and destroy certain property, that is, the lining material of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.”

At a press conference, Pirro described Hearn as “violently” ripping up about two square feet of the massive pool and being belligerent and rude toward federal officers guarding it, while she said witnesses saw him “forcefully and violently” pulling up and removing the bottom liner with both hands.

When asked about the basis for the felony charge, Pirro told reporters, “This is a case with tremendous evidence and the evidence dictates where we land,” and she declined to describe additional evidence beyond witnesses on the scene.

AP News

Hearn’s attorneys Norm Eisen and Mary Dohrmann said in a statement, "Davey Hearn is innocent. These charges are outrageous and should be alarming to every American," and they argued the indictment reflects “the Administration’s effort to shift blame for their own failures.”

The BBC reported that Hearn’s attorneys said the indictment reflects the administration’s effort to shift blame for their own failures, while Pirro said the indictment was “a deliberate act to damage the reflecting pool at the National Mall.”

The indictment comes as the Reflecting Pool renovation project has been described in the coverage as having been “beset with issues involving algae and peeling paint or sealant shortly after it reopened,” and the BBC said the pool had encountered problems with algae and large pieces of the new sealant peeling from the bottom.

“Former Olympian indicted for allegedly vandalising Washington Reflecting Pool A former US Olympian has been charged with vandalising the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington, DC”

BBC

Pirro said her office was handling about six other cases involving alleged vandalism at the Reflecting Pool, and the Washington Post reported that she was examining about a half dozen other cases against people accused of vandalism at the pool.

Hearn previously told the BBC he “didn't destroy, rip, tear, peel, or remove any part” of the paint, and he described his arrest as “arbitrary, capricious prosecution” after he said he was detained by the pool’s edge as he finished a long bike ride.

In the Washington Post’s account of Pirro’s remarks, she said, “We will not allow our sacred monuments to be roped off or diminished or in any way impacted by disgruntled individuals,” framing the case as part of a broader Trump administration push to crack down on alleged vandals blamed for damage to the Reflecting Pool.