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Ex‑Olympian David Hearn indicted over Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool damage

sportsJul 3, 202630504

A Washington, D.C., grand jury indicted three-time U.S. Olympian canoeist David Hearn on a felony destruction-of-property charge for allegedly ripping up roughly two square feet of sealant from the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said. Prosecutors say Hearn, 67, was observed on June 19 forcefully and violently pulling up the pool's bottom liner with both hands after Park Service employees witnessed the act; Hearn was arrested that day on a misdemeanor and now faces a maximum of 10 years in prison if convicted of the felony. Hearn told The Washington Post he had been cycling, reached into the water to feel a partially detached piece of blue liner and denied vandalizing anything, saying he was handcuffed as soon as he realized what was happening. Hearn's lawyers, Norm Eisen and Mary Dohrmann, called him innocent and said the indictment is an effort to shift blame for the administration's failures, asserting the charges are outrageous. Pirro said the Reflecting Pool's renovation has been a top priority for President Donald Trump this year and that her office is reviewing about six other cases related to alleged damage at the pool, some of which may be misdemeanors.

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