Former Olympian David Hearn denies Reflecting Pool felony charge

David Hearn, a three-time U.S. Olympic canoeist, pleaded not guilty Thursday in D.C. Superior Court to a felony property-damage charge tied to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. Prosecutors allege Hearn caused more than $1,000 in damage to sealant or liner material at the National Mall site, an accusation that carries a maximum possible sentence of 10 years in prison if he is convicted.

The case has drawn attention because it intersects with the Trump administration’s high-profile renovation of the roughly 2,000-foot pool, a project President Donald Trump has made a priority. The renovation has faced criticism over a no-bid contract awarded to a company connected to a Trump donor, a newly installed blue liner that peeled from the pool bottom and water that turned green from algae.

Defense says prosecution is political

Hearn’s attorney, Norm Eisen, said outside court that his client denies wrongdoing and accused the administration of using the case to deflect scrutiny from the renovation. “Mr. Hearn pled not guilty because he is not guilty,” Eisen told reporters.

Eisen said the indictment made Hearn a “scapegoat” and argued that contact with the pool should not be treated as a felony. He said the defense would contest the case and described the prosecution as a misuse of government authority tied to a “false and politicized narrative.”

Supporters gathered outside the courthouse with signs criticizing Trump and calling for the charges to be dropped.

Prosecutors allege intentional damage

Hearn, 67, of Bethesda, Maryland, was arrested June 19 after he stopped at the Reflecting Pool during a bicycle ride and reached into the water. He has said he touched a partly detached section of blue liner to feel its texture.

U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro for the District of Columbia announced on July 2 that a grand jury had indicted Hearn on a felony count of destruction of property. Pirro said National Park employees saw Hearn “forcefully and violently pulling up and removing the bottom liner with both hands.”

Under the charge described by prosecutors, the government must prove the alleged property damage was intentional and met the statutory threshold reflected in the indictment. Prosecutors say the damage exceeded $1,000. The maximum sentence is 10 years, though any actual punishment after a conviction would be determined by the court under applicable law and sentencing factors.

Mary Dohrmann, another lawyer for Hearn, told the court that “the government’s evidence is weak,” according to The Associated Press. Hearn was not required to post bail.

Pool renovation remains under scrutiny

Trump and government officials have claimed, without evidence cited publicly, that vandals cut a gash several hundred feet long in the Reflecting Pool. Hearn is not accused of using a knife or razor.

A National Park Service official said in a court filing that after the renovation was substantially complete in early June, U.S. Park Police found that caulk over foam sealant in the pool had been cut with a sharp knife or razor and that delaminating surface material had been damaged.

The Reflecting Pool formed part of the setting for the administration’s “Salute to America” Independence Day celebration in Washington. Workers were seen dismantling the event stage on the National Mall on July 7.

This story draws on original reporting from CNBC.