‘It’s a lie’: Former Olympian indicted on charge of damaging Reflecting Pool * WorldNetDaily * by Bob Unruh
A former U.S. Olympic team member, canoeist David “Davey” Hearn, has been indicted on a felony charge of damaging federal property after he admitted he stopped at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington during a bike ride and “touched” a loose piece of blue coating installed during President Donald Trump’s repair project.
A Fox News report said the charge is felony destruction of property.
The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro.
Hearn rejected claims he damaged anything at the pool, saying he only touched the coating “to satisfy my curiosity as a citizen.”
The charge follows several other people who have been arrested or cited for damage to the pool following the $14 million repair work.
The Daily Mail added that it was a grand jury that returned the indictment.
A lawyer for the 62-year-old said he was unaware of development’s in Hearn’s case beyond a previous citation for a misdemeanor.
Trump has blamed damage to the pool on vandalism and has warned about serious jail time for offenders.
When the blue coating on the bottom of the pool started to peel he said, “Who would do such a thing? These are very serious crimes having to do with the destruction of National Monuments. Years in jail.”
The report confirmed Hearn said, “It’s a completely unfounded accusation. It’s a lie. I didn’t rip, tear, destruct, destroy, or harm in any way, any part of the reflecting pool.”
“Hearn admitted to touching a ‘loose flap of coating,’ but claimed he did so purely because he was ‘curious as a concerned citizen,'” the report explained.
The pool had reopened to praises – even from Democrats – but only days later damage started to appear in the painted-on liner in the pool, and there began to be seen algae blooms in the water.
Hearn had shared a photo he had taken of the peeling paint moments before his arrest.
CNN keeps saying a man has been indicted for “touching” the reflecting pool. That’s TOTAL BS.
David Hearn “FORCEFULLY AND VlOLENTLY” ripped up 2 square feet of sealant
Then GOT IN THE FACE of a female NPS employee who asked him to stop
MULTIPLE witnesses have confirmed this.… https://t.co/e9mnKwpwO1 pic.twitter.com/HbPH9Y4pCC
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) July 2, 2026
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro (@USAttyPirro) on Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool vandalism: “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.” pic.twitter.com/sdqMjzHza7
— CSPAN (@cspan) July 2, 2026
Bob Unruh