A former US Olympian has been charged with vandalising the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool after authorities say he was seen reaching into the water after renovations to the pool.
President Donald Trump blamed vandals for the peeling of newly applied coating on the bottom of the attraction in Washington, DC.
David “Davey” Hearn, 67, a three-time Olympic canoeist, previously told the BBC he did not do anything wrong, but was detained by the pool’s edge as he was finishing a long bike ride.
US Attorney Jeanine Pirro said at a press conference on Thursday that he caused $1,000 worth of damage.
Pirro said Hearn is facing a felony charge of destruction of property.
“The indictment is in response to an incident that occurred on June 19th of 2026, in which the defendant, Hearn, ripped a piece of recently installed sealant on the bottom of the reflecting pool at the Lincoln Memorial,” she said.
“This was a deliberate act to damage the reflecting pool at the National Mall that members of the National Park Service actually have worked hard to restore.”
Despite undergoing a recent $14 million renovation project, the pool has encountered problems. The pool was clouded with algae within days of being refilled and large pieces of the new sealant could be seen peeling from the bottom.
Hearn previously told the BBC that he touched pool material that had already been damaged and he had been curious about the state of the pool.
He said he “didn’t destroy, rip, tear, peel, or remove any part” of the paint and described his arrest as “arbitrary, capricious prosecution”.
US Park Police have said five people have been arrested for vandalism in connection with the Reflecting Pool, and five others were issued federal citations.
Trump said on social media on 20 June that “work will begin immediately on fixing the seriously vandalized Reflecting Pool”.
“I just inspected it, and could only say to myself, and those gathered around me, WOW, who would do such a thing? SICK, DERANGED PEOPLE!”
The Reflecting Pool, built in the 1920s and stretching 2,030ft (619m) between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument, has long been beset by leaks, structural deterioration, faulty pipes, algae growth and bird droppings.
