Key facts
- Former Olympic canoeist David Hearn indicted on felony charge of property destruction.
- Indictment alleges Hearn "forcefully and violently" pulled up sealant on the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool's liner.
- Alleged damage is valued at $1,000, meeting the threshold for a felony charge in Washington, D.C.
- Hearn claims he was merely curious and touched a piece of the peeling liner after being told to stop.
- The incident occurred on June 19, shortly after a $14.7 million restoration project for the pool.
A former U.S. Olympic canoe racer, David Hearn, has been indicted on a felony charge of property destruction for allegedly damaging the recently installed liner of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro stated that Hearn "forcefully and violently" pulled up the bottom liner with his hands on June 19, causing approximately $1,000 in damage, and acted belligerently toward an employee who told him to stop. Hearn, 67, who was on a 64-mile bike ride, told The Associated Press that he reached into the pool out of curiosity to examine the peeling coating and briefly touched a detached piece. He was detained by National Guard troops and Park Police for five hours. President Donald Trump had previously described the incident as vandalism and stated that federal authorities made multiple arrests.