Grand Jury Indicts Former Olympian For Allegedly Tampering With Reflecting Pool

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Grand Jury Indicts Former Olympian For Allegedly Tampering With Reflecting Pool

A Washington, D.C. Superior Court grand jury has indicted former Olympian David Hearn on a second-degree felony charge of “Destruction of property $1,000 or more.”

Hearn “ripped a piece of recently installed sealant,” Jeanine Pirro, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, said in a press conference Thursday announcing the indictment. “[Hearn] willfully destroyed property at the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool.”

Pirro stated that National Park Service (NPS) employees who were on scene claim to have observed Hearn reaching and pulling up the liner with both hands. Pirro alleges that Hearn caused damage to at least two square feet of the Reflecting Pool, citing the multi-million-dollar cost of the recent renovations to the pool to explain the charge being filed for damages of $1,000 or more.

Pirro also stated that NPS employees allege that Hearn was told not to reach into the pool, and allegedly shouted back, “It’s not your pool,” and “Why do you care so much?”

Hearn, a three-time Olympic canoeist, was first arrested on June 19 in front of the Lincoln Memorial and was charged with the “misdemeanor offense of destruction of government property,” Mediate reported. (RELATED: Former Olympian Arrested For Allegedly Vandalizing Newly Restored Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool)

Pirro emphasized the alleged purposeful intent of Hearn’s action when asked questions about the gravity of the indictment, stating, “There was an effort, a violent effort, to rip up the sealant from the pool; we can state and prove beyond a doubt that he damaged the pool over $1,000.”

The grand jury’s indictment was quickly followed by Chief Judge Milton C. Lee issuing a warrant for Hearn’s arrest, citing that “The Defendant has been indicted on charges to include Destroying Property in violation of D.C. Code § 22–303.” No bond was listed for the warrant.

D.C. Code § 22–303 covers the crime of and punishment for “Malicious burning, destruction, or injury of another’s property,” in the amount of $1,000 or more. The charge is punishable by a fine of up to $25,000 or up to 10 years in prison, or both.

Deputy Chief David LaMont, United States Park Police Field Operation Division Commander, warned any potential vandals or other criminals that they “will be held accountable and either cited or arrested.”

Pirro said her team is “not tracking anything in terms of a threat environment,” leading up to the holiday weekend.