A former US Olympian is facing a vandalism charge after allegedly damaging Washington’s recently renovated — and already deteriorating — Reflecting Pool, a case that could bring a prison sentence of up to 10 years if he is convicted.
Attorneys for David Hearn, 67, said the indictment reflects what they described as a justice system shaped by politics under President Donald Trump.
“These charges are outrageous and should be alarming to every American,” Norm Eisen and Mary Dohrmann said in a statement.
Hearn told US media he stopped at the refurbished pool after a long bike ride and spotted a section of partially loosened “American blue” paint liner. He said he put his hand into the water to feel the material, and that US Park Police arrested him as he was getting ready to leave.
The overhaul of the pool beside the Lincoln Memorial has been one of Trump’s favored efforts to reshape the US capital, though the project has run into trouble as algae quickly returned and paint began peeling ahead of the 250th anniversary of independence.
On 19 June, National Park Service employees saw Hearn “forcefully and violently pulling up and removing” about two square feet of sealant from the bottom of the pool, causing more than $1,000 in damage, according to Jeanine Pirro, the US attorney for Washington.
Hearn, a three-time US Olympic canoeist, is among roughly a half-dozen people accused of interfering with the pool, whose expensive renovation has turned into a political flashpoint in Washington.
“Today a grand jury has returned a felony indictment against a defendant, David Hearn, for felony destruction of property, for which he faces 10 years in prison,” Pirro, the former Fox News host, told a media briefing.
Jeanine Pirro said David Hearn could face 10 years in prison (File image)
Pirro said her office intends to pursue anyone who damages national monuments and added that prosecutors are reviewing about a half-dozen other incidents expected to result in misdemeanour charges or violations.
That promise of aggressive enforcement is likely to intensify questions about the independence of the US Justice Department under Trump, who had previously warned that anyone accused of damaging one of his signature renovation projects could face jail time.
“On the eve of our nation’s Independence Day, Americans should be deeply concerned by the misuse of government power against an ordinary citizen based on a concocted narrative,” Eisen and Dohrmann said.
The Reflecting Pool is one of several Washington beautification efforts backed by Trump, and the painting and sealing work was projected to cost at least $14 million.
Not long after the project was finished, the coating started to flake away and algae left the water a murky green — problems the president has blamed on vandals, though he has offered no evidence.
