A federal grand jury has returned a felony indictment against David Hearn, 67, an American Olympian who competed in the 2000 Olympics, for destruction of property at the Lincoln Memorial.
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro stated that Hearn willfully and “violently” damaged a 2-square-foot section of sealant on June 19 after the reflecting pool was renovated by order of President Donald Trump.
Witnesses reported that Hearn reached down into the pool and forcibly pulled up the bottom liner with both hands. A National Park Service employee told him to stop, but he responded by shouting that she “cared too much about the reflecting pool.”
Hearn denied damaging anything in comments to the Washington Post: “I didn’t vandalize anything… By the time I realized what was going on, I was being put in handcuffs.”
Pirro described Hearn’s actions as 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.” She noted approximately six similar cases are currently under investigation.
The renovation effort has been criticized by some on the left as unnecessary, though others argue it was necessary for the 250th anniversary celebration.
