By LINDSAY WHITEHURST and MEG KINNARD, The Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — A former Olympian was indicted Thursday on a felony charge in what President Donald Trump has called vandalism of the Reflecting Pool.
David Hearn, a former Olympic canoe racer, was indicted on a single count of property destruction in Washington, D.C. court.
District of Columbia U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said Hearn ripped up recently installed sealant on pool in “a deliberate act” that caused more than $1,000 in damage. She accused him of “forcefully and violently” pulling up bottom liner “with both hands” and acting belligerent toward an employee who told him to stop.
“This is a case with tremendous evidence,” she said, adding that authorities have made about six other misdemeanors arrests.
Hearn didn’t immediately return a phone call seeking comment.
He previously told The Associated Press that he reached into the pool 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, of Bethesda, Maryland, 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 he was detained by National Guard troops and Park Police for five hours before being released.
Trump said earlier this month that federal authorities made “multiple arrests” of people he accused 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.