A judge on Thursday officially dismissed a case against former Olympian David Hearn, who was accused of feloniously vandalizing the Reflecting Pool in Washington, D.C. earlier this summer. The case was brought by the Justice Department, but prosecutors acknowledged in a court filing that there was no evidence to support the assertion that Hearn had criminally damaged the pool.
Background of the Case
The Reflecting Pool was recently renovated as part of a $14 million project initiated by President Donald Trump. However, the renovation was described as ‘hasty and botched’ by prosecutors. Hearn’s lawyers argued that the case should be dismissed with prejudice, meaning that it could not be brought again in the future. The judge, Todd Edelman, stopped short of barring prosecutors from reviving the case, but asked for more arguments on the matter.
Hearn’s lawyers welcomed the dismissal, stating that their client was innocent and that the case should never have been brought in the first place. The dismissal comes after a week of controversy surrounding the case, including public criticism from President Trump.
Original reporting: El Paso News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
