Feds charge former Olympian with damaging D.C. Reflecting Pool

Federal prosecutors pressed charges on Thursday against a former Olympic canoeist for allegedly vandalizing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, according to the Department of Justice. David Hearn faced a felony destruction of property charge for allegedly ripping out a piece of the pool’s recently installed sealant on June 19. Hearn participated in the 1992, 1996, and 2000 Summer Olympics, representing the United States in canoe slalom.

Witnesses, including a National Park Service employee, saw the 67-year-old reach into the reflecting pool with both hands and forcefully pull up and remove a piece of the liner, U.S. Attorney for D.C. Jeanine Pirro told reporters. The former Olympian began shouting at the park employee after he was told to stop, and witnesses characterized him as belligerent, rude, and disrespectful, she said. Hearn deliberately damaged about 2 square feet of the pool’s sealant from his actions, which will cost over $1,000, Pirro alleged. She said the government would hold Hearn accountable for damaging a national treasure and allegedly undermining the pool’s recent and costly renovations.

How has Hearn responded to the allegations? Hearn’s attorneys from the Democracy Defenders Fund and the Washington Litigation Group released a joint statement on Thursday insisting the former Olympian is innocent. The attorneys characterized the charges as outrageous and suggested the Trump administration is attempting to shift the blame for its own failures regarding the pool’s renovations.

Dig deeper: Read Abby Young’s report on the new museum inside the nearby Lincoln Memorial.