A former US Olympic canoeist, David ‘Davey’ Hearn, 67, has pleaded not guilty to vandalizing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington, D.C. Hearn is facing a felony destruction of property charge after federal prosecutors alleged he intentionally damaged lining material at the bottom of the Reflecting Pool last month.
Background
The 2,000-foot-long pool, a centerpiece of Washington’s National Mall, had been refurbished with an ‘American flag blue’ liner at President Donald Trump’s request as part of the 250th anniversary celebration of US independence. However, the renovated pool quickly developed blooms of algae that tinted the water green, while pieces of the blue lining peeled off.
Trump, facing criticism over the $14.7 million renovation, blamed the problems on vandals who he alleged had intentionally sabotaged the project. Jeanine Pirro, the Trump-appointed US Attorney for the District of Columbia, announced a criminal indictment against Hearn earlier this month, casting the case as an effort to protect US monuments.
Hearn has acknowledged reaching into the Reflecting Pool while cycling in the area and touching a piece of pool liner that was already partially detached, but he denied removing anything from the pool. His lawyers have argued that he is innocent and that the Trump administration brought criminal charges to distract attention from what they called a botched renovation.
Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
