A Bethesda man and former Olympic canoeist who had been charged with allegedly damaging the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool has been cleared after federal prosecutors acknowledged the damage was caused by a faulty installation, not vandalism.
According to a court filing by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, prosecutors have moved to dismiss all charges against 67-year-old David Hearn. The filing states that “the damage was the result of a botched installation and not vandalism as initially represented by the U.S. Department of the Interior.”
Hearn, a three-time Olympian and longtime Bethesda resident, was indicted in July on a felony destruction of property charge stemming from a June 19 incident in which he was accused of pulling up a section of recently installed blue sealant from the bottom of the Reflecting Pool. Federal officials had alleged his actions damaged the pool following months of renovations ahead of America’s 250th anniversary celebrations.
The dismissal marks a dramatic reversal from the government’s earlier claims. Prosecutors now acknowledge the damage resulted from installation issues rather than any criminal conduct by Hearn.
Montgomery County Congressman Jamie Raskin welcomed the decision, writing:
“Great news: The Department of Justice and U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro have just withdrawn all criminal charges against Montgomery County’s Davey Hearn, the three-time Olympian who they tried to blame for Trump’s pathetically incompetent mismanagement of the Reflecting Pool, AKA the ‘Strait of Warm Ooze.’ Turns out Trump’s algae farm resulted from a ‘botched installation,’ by their own forced admission. Thanks to Davey, a beloved teacher of generations of MoCo canoeists and kayakers, for hanging tough like a champ since June 19 when they held him for five hours and tried to frame him on trumped-up nonsense charges; to Rockville Councilman Adam Van Grack for his great organizing to support Davey; and Norm Eisen and his team for excellent lawyering. Solidarity everyone.”
Hearn’s attorney, Norm Eisen, had maintained from the outset that his client was innocent, arguing the charges were an attempt to shift blame away from problems with the Reflecting Pool renovation. With the
