Former Olympian indicted over Reflecting Pool incident
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro announced that former Olympic athlete David Hearn was indicted by a federal grand jury on Thursday following his arrest last month at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington, DC
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Former U.S. Olympic canoeist David Hearn pleaded not guilty Thursday to intentionally damaging the newly renovated Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
Hearn, 67, entered the plea through one of his attorneys during his first appearance in D.C. Superior Court.
Superior Court Judge Carmen McLean did not require Hearn to be supervised by the court while he awaited trial. A status hearing was scheduled for August 5.
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David Hearn of the United States competes in the men’s C1 whitewater canoe final at the 2000 Summer Olympics at Penrith Whitewater Stadium. Penrith, Australia, on 18 September 2000. (David Madison/Getty Images)
Hearn was indicted last week on a felony charge of destruction of property following his arrest in connection with the June 19 incident. Hearn denied damaging the pool, saying he stopped on a bike ride and touched a loose piece of the peeling blue coating “to satisfy my curiosity as a citizen.”
Prosecutor Kevin Reddington said the government was not seeking any court supervision for Hearn, just a “restraint order,” without specifying in court where it wanted to keep Hearn away.
Mary Dohrmann, one of Hearn’s attorneys, urged the judge not to impose any conditions on court supervision, calling Hearn an “upstanding citizen and member of the community.”
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David Hearn of the United States competes in the men’s C1 whitewater canoe final at the 2000 Summer Olympics at Penrith Whitewater Stadium. Penrith, Australia, on 18 September 2000. (David Madison/Getty Images)
Dohrmann also said that “the government’s evidence is weak.”
The Reflecting Pool recently underwent a $14 million rehabilitation project under President Trump. Hearn’s charge came after several people were arrested or cited for allegedly damaging the reflecting pool.
Video of Hearn’s arrest went viral on X after it was captured by reporter Emily Miller. Miller accused the former Olympian of grabbing a hose that female National Park Service workers were using to clean algae.
Hearn denied the charge but admitted that his bicycle tire may have hit the hose.
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David Hearn from the USA performs during the Olympic slalom trials. 16 May 1992. (Doug Pensinger/Allsport)
“I didn’t vandalize anything,” Hearn told The Washington Post. “When I realized what was going on, I was handcuffed.”
Records show Hearn has ties to a major left-wing fundraising network.
Hearn represented the United States at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, and the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
