{"id":3835,"date":"2026-07-10T06:36:09","date_gmt":"2026-07-10T06:36:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=3835"},"modified":"2026-07-10T06:36:09","modified_gmt":"2026-07-10T06:36:09","slug":"former-olympian-pleads-not-guilty-to-vandalizing-the-lincoln-memorial-reflecting-pool","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=3835","title":{"rendered":"Former Olympian pleads not guilty to vandalizing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Former Olympian David Hearn pleaded not guilty Thursday after he was accused of damaging the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in an act of politically motivated vandalism.<\/p>\n

Read more Judge orders E. Jean Carroll be paid $5.8M in Trump sex abuse and defamation case; Trump appeals<\/a><\/p>\n

Mr. Hearn, 67, entered the plea that his defense attorneys slammed as \u201cweak\u201d and an abuse of government power after President Trump blamed unnamed vandals for tampering with the repainted Reflecting Pool.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf Mr. Hearn can be charged with a felony for touching the Reflecting Pool, every American is at risk, and every American should be alarmed about this prosecution,\u201d defense attorney Norm Eisen said to a press gaggle.<\/p>\n

The three-time Olympian canoe racing competitor was indicted last week on charges of felony destruction of property for the alleged June 19 offense.<\/p>\n

Mr. Hearn, a Bethesda resident, said he stopped by the monuments on a bike ride and reached into the pool to check out a piece of blue sealant that had broken off in the water.<\/p>\n

Prosecutors argued he tore off the sealant that had been applied to the pool as part of a renovation project ahead of the nation\u2019s 250th celebration.<\/p>\n

U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro said Mr. Hearn became confrontational with a National Park Service employee who asked him why he was reaching into the water.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur evidence further shows that the NPS employee observed Hearn actually forcefully, violently pulling and removing the bottom liner with both hands,\u201d Ms. Pirro said when announcing the charges.<\/p>\n

Read more State Department calls Chinese nuclear missile test \u2018irresponsible\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n

Enhancements to the pool spurred a political fight last month about the project\u2019s $14 million price tag and questions about painting its concrete base in \u201cAmerican flag blue.\u201d<\/p>\n

Days after the project was completed and the pool was refilled, the water became green again from algae blooms.<\/p>\n

Mr. Trump accused \u201csick, deranged people\u201d of carving the pool\u2019s liner and pouring chemicals into the water to destroy the paint job, and Ms. Pirro said several people were issued vandalism citations for damaging the pool.<\/p>\n

But Mr. Hearn\u2019s attorneys said the White House\u2019s bluster is a distraction from its inability to perform a proper renovation. \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThis indictment reflects the administration\u2019s effort to shift blame for their own failures,\u201d the lawyers said in a statement. \u201cThe justice system exists to determine facts, not to provide political cover.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mr. Hearn smiled to a crowd of supporters outside D.C. Superior Court as they chanted his name and held up signs saying \u201cThe Deflecting Pool: Never admit failure\u201d and \u201cDrop the Trumped Up Charges.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mr. Hearn is accused of causing more than $1,000 in damage and could be sentenced to up to 10 years behind bars if convicted.<\/p>\n

Read more Despite Trump\u2019s announcement, Patriot missile production in Ukraine may not start for years<\/a><\/p>\n

He returns to court Aug. 5.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Former Olympian David Hearn pleaded not guilty Thursday after he was accused of damaging the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in an act of politically motivated vandalism.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3834,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[107,6],"tags":[2149,1454],"class_list":["post-3835","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local","category-news","tag-david-hearn","tag-lincoln-memorial-reflecting-pool"],"yoast_head":"\nFormer Olympian pleads not guilty to vandalizing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool - Home Buyer Relocation<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=3835\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Former Olympian pleads not guilty to vandalizing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool - 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