David Hearn indictment faces dismissal after Reflecting Pool filing
Jeanine Pirro asked a court to drop charges against Olympian David Hearn, citing flawed installation as the cause of sealant damage.
By Marcus V. Thorne · Markets Editor
· 2 min read
U.S. Attorney for Washington Jeanine Pirro moved Friday to dismiss the David Hearn indictment, according to a court filing, after concluding that damage to sealant at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool came from a flawed installation. Hearn, a U.S. Olympic canoeist, had been charged with vandalizing the Reflecting Pool.
Pirro wrote in the filing that the damage attributed to Hearn was instead caused by the way the pool’s sealant had been installed. The filing seeks to end the prosecution rather than continue with the criminal case.
Why is the David Hearn indictment being dropped?
The stated reason in the court filing is that prosecutors now attribute the sealant damage to defective installation work at the Reflecting Pool, rather than to vandalism by Hearn. A motion to dismiss is a request for the court to terminate charges; it does not take effect until the court acts on it.
The case had centered on alleged damage to the Reflecting Pool of the Lincoln Memorial, one of Washington’s most visible public spaces. The filing described the relevant damage as involving the pool’s sealant, the material used to help protect and maintain the structure.
The development marks a reversal by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Washington in a case involving a public monument and an Olympic athlete. No additional details about the indictment, the installation work, or the timing of any court ruling were disclosed in the filing summary.
What happens next in the case?
The court will need to consider Pirro’s request to dismiss the indictment. If the motion is granted, the charges against Hearn would be dropped in line with the government’s request.
Until the court rules, the filing represents the prosecution’s position that the case should not proceed. Pirro’s statement in the filing places responsibility for the Reflecting Pool sealant damage on the installation process, not on the conduct alleged in the indictment.
This story draws on original reporting from CNBC.
