WASHINGTON, July 2 (DC Times Online) — A federal grand jury in Washington indicted former U.S. Olympian David Hearn on a felony property-destruction charge tied to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, according to court records and a statement from U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro.
Prosecutors allege Hearn damaged newly installed sealant or liner at the pool and caused more than $1,000 in damage. Pirro said the evidence will show he “willfully destroyed property” at the site.
Hearn, a former canoeist from Bethesda, Maryland, told ABC News and The Associated Press that he only touched a loose blue coating or liner while stopping during a bike ride to look at the renovated pool. “I did not damage, I did not rip, tear, break, destroy or harm any part of the Reflecting Pool,” he said.
Hearn was arrested by U.S. Park Police after the June 19 encounter, and his lawyer, Norm Eisen, said the defense will challenge the case. Eisen told The Hill, “There’s no justification for this. We plan to challenge it vigorously.”
