Former Olympic canoeist indicted in Reflecting Pool damage case
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro says David Hearn damaged the newly renovated pool; Hearn says he only touched peeling paint while passing by.
By Lucas Ferreira · Science & Environment Writer
3 min read
Federal prosecutors have secured a felony indictment against David Hearn, a 67-year-old former Olympic athlete and professional canoeist, over alleged damage to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said Thursday that the destruction of property charge could expose Hearn to a prison term of up to 10 years.
Pirro, a Trump appointee, told reporters that National Park Service workers saw Hearn pulling at the pool’s bottom liner with both hands. She said the alleged damage covered about 2 square feet, or 0.18 square meters, of sealant.
Hearn has denied vandalizing the site in media interviews. He said he was riding his bicycle past the Reflecting Pool on June 19, stopped to examine peeling paint and put his hand in the water to touch it, according to Al Jazeera.
Pirro gave a different account at her news conference. She said a park employee told Hearn to stop, and she alleged that Hearn shouted at the worker.
The case follows a politically charged renovation of the Reflecting Pool. Al Jazeera reported that President Donald Trump began the project in April as part of a broader set of construction and maintenance changes in Washington, DC.
Trump awarded a $13.1 million no-bid contract to seal and resurface the granite pool in a color he called “American flag blue,” according to Al Jazeera. After the pool reopened in early June, observers reported algae in the water and blue paint coming loose from the bottom.
Trump has said vandals were responsible for problems at the site. Al Jazeera reported that at least seven people, including Hearn, have been arrested on allegations connected to possible damage to the blue-painted pool bottom.
Reporters asked Pirro whether pursuing a felony charge was excessive, given that similar cases have been treated as misdemeanors. Pirro said she charged the case based on the evidence and argued that the alleged damage exceeded $1,000, which she said required a felony charge.
Pirro also faced questions about whether Trump influenced the charging decision after he wrote on Truth Social that a 10-year sentence should be enforced for attempted damage to the Reflecting Pool. Pirro rejected that suggestion.
When a reporter compared the prosecution with the handling of damage from the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, Pirro dismissed the comparison, according to Al Jazeera. Trump pardoned nearly all January 6 defendants on the first day of his second term, Al Jazeera reported.
A hearing in Hearn’s case is scheduled for July 9.
Work around the Reflecting Pool continued Thursday ahead of July 4 fireworks. Al Jazeera reported that large nets had been placed across the pool, and a police officer at the site said they were meant to catch debris from the fireworks show.
The pool remained fenced off, but visitors continued to view the renovation. Al Jazeera reported that Brian Williams, a 31-year-old from Roscoe, Georgia, praised Trump’s effort to improve the city and said people should not damage public property, while Jon Delgado, a 40-year-old Navy veteran from Collierville, Tennessee, said the pool looked neglected and rejected Trump’s claims of vandalism.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.