U.S. Olympian David Hearn pleads not guilty to charges in Reflecting Pool vandalism case
Investigators say video shows Hearn removing a glove and putting his hand in the pool as prosecutors weigh a federal felony case.
- On Thursday, former Olympic canoeist David Hearn appeared in D.C. Superior Court and pleaded not guilty to a single felony count of property destruction related to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, facing up to 10 years in prison if convicted.
- President Donald Trump initiated a $14 million renovation of the 2,030-foot-long pool for the nation's 250th anniversary, but the project developed algae and peeling paint Trump called 'American flag blue,' leading him to allege vandals intentionally sabotaged it.
- U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro alleges Hearn 'forcefully and violently' ripped about two square feet of the liner with his bare hands, while defense attorney Norm Eisen argues the administration is making Hearn a 'scapegoat' for project failures.
- Three other individuals charged with misdemeanor destruction of property less than $1,000 also pleaded not guilty Wednesday in D.C. Superior Court, while crews began draining the pool for the second time in three months.
- Critics and defense lawyers derided the felony indictment as an 'abuse of prosecutorial power,' while Hearn maintains he merely touched already-detached coating during a 64-mile bike ride, denying any removal or damage to the landmark.
116 Articles
116 Articles
US Olympian canoeist pleads not guilty to charges of damaging Reflecting Pool
Norm Eisen, an attorney with the Democracy Defenders Fund, speaks outside District of Columbia Superior Court after an arraignment hearing for David C. Hearn, center, on felony charges of destruction of property of $1,000 or more. At left is Mary C. Dohrmann, senior counsel at the Washington Litigation Group and another member of Hearn’s legal team. (Photo by Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom) WASHINGTON — The former U.S Olympian charged with damag…
Former Olympian David Hearn pleads not guilty to Reflecting Pool vandalism
Former Olympic canoe racer David Hearn appeared for his arraignment and pleaded not guilty Thursday to deliberately damaging the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in an incident that President Donald Trump said was vandalism. Hearn, 67, was indicted by a grand jury last week on a single count of property destruction in Washington, D.C., after touching the recently renovated and algae-plagued Reflecting Pool, which led to Hearn’s arrest. D.C. Supe…
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