WASHINGTON, July 2 (DC Times Online) — A federal grand jury in Washington, D.C., has indicted former U.S. Olympian and canoeist David Hearn on a property-destruction charge tied to alleged damage at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, according to court records and U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro.
Prosecutors alleged Hearn tore or removed about two square feet of sealant or liner from the pool and caused more than $1,000 in damage. Pirro said the government’s evidence would show the act was deliberate.
U.S. Park Police arrested Hearn after the June 19 encounter at the federal site. Hearn has said he stopped there during a bike ride to look at the newly renovated surface and touched a loose blue coating, but did not damage anything.
“I did not damage, I did not rip, tear, break, destroy or harm any part of the Reflecting Pool,” Hearn said.
His lawyer, Norm Eisen, said the defense would challenge the case and said, “Touching water is not a federal offense.”
