Former MD Olympian Hit With Charges In Reflecting Pool Vandalism

WASHINGTON, DC — U.S. Olympic canoeist and Bethesda resident David “Davey” Hearn was indicted Thursday in what the Trump administration is calling vandalism of the Reflecting Pool in Washington, D.C., according to reports.

Hearn was indicted in D.C. Superior Court on a charge of felony property destruction, NBC News reported.

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At a news conference on Thursday, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said National Park Service employees saw Hearn “forcefully and violently pulling up and removing the bottom liner” of the pool with both hands during a June 19 incident.

She also claimed that he damaged approximately two square feet of the sealant from the bottom of the pool, according to NBC News.

“This is a case with tremendous evidence,” she said, adding that authorities have made about six other misdemeanor arrests.

Hearn previously told The Associated Press that he reached into the pool on June 19 to examine the newly peeled coating. He said he briefly touched a chunk that was still attached to the side of the pool, then let go shortly after a park worker told him to.

Hearn, 67, owned a company that made composite materials used to build watercraft. He said he stopped by the pool during a 64-mile bike ride.

He said National Guard troops and Park Police detained him for five hours before he was released.

Trump said earlier this month that federal authorities made “multiple arrests” of people he accused of vandalizing the Reflecting Pool as he struggled to explain why the $14-million-plus rehabilitation project he launched for the nation’s 250th anniversary seemingly backfired.

In a statement obtained by The New York Times, Hearn's attorneys maintained his innocence and said the charges "are outrageous and should be alarming to every American."

"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," his attorneys said. "The justice system exists to determine the facts, not to provide political cover."

The Associated Press contributed reporting.