U.S. Olympian David Hearn pleads not guilty to charges in Reflecting Pool vandalism case
Investigators say video shows Hearn removing a glove and putting his hand in the pool as prosecutors weigh a federal felony case.
- On Thursday, former Olympic canoeist David Hearn appeared in D.C. Superior Court and pleaded not guilty to a single felony count of property destruction related to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, facing up to 10 years in prison if convicted.
- President Donald Trump initiated a $14 million renovation of the 2,030-foot-long pool for the nation's 250th anniversary, but the project developed algae and peeling paint Trump called 'American flag blue,' leading him to allege vandals intentionally sabotaged it.
- U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro alleges Hearn 'forcefully and violently' ripped about two square feet of the liner with his bare hands, while defense attorney Norm Eisen argues the administration is making Hearn a 'scapegoat' for project failures.
- Three other individuals charged with misdemeanor destruction of property less than $1,000 also pleaded not guilty Wednesday in D.C. Superior Court, while crews began draining the pool for the second time in three months.
- Critics and defense lawyers derided the felony indictment as an 'abuse of prosecutorial power,' while Hearn maintains he merely touched already-detached coating during a 64-mile bike ride, denying any removal or damage to the landmark.
79 Articles
79 Articles
Judge denies Pirro demand to bar Olympian from Reflecting Pool after 'not guilty' plea
A D.C. judge refused to bar three-time Olympian David Hearn from the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool Thursday, rejecting a government demand hours after he pleaded not guilty to a felony charge.Hearn, 67, faces up to 10 years in prison on a single count of destruction of property — a charge U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro brought after President Donald Trump's $14 million reflecting pool renovation was plagued by proble…
Tinta begins to peel in Lincoln Memorial's water mirror days after reform The 67-year-old former Olympic canonist David Hearn declared himself innocent on Thursday (9) of the accusation of vandalizing Lincoln Memorial's Water Mirror in Washington. The monument, which was in reform, became the center of U.S. President Donald Trump's annunciations. He accused the sportsman of sabotaging space reform. The Republican promoted a series of reforms in …
(Washington = Yonhap News) Correspondent Park Sung-min = A former U.S.... indicted on charges of vandalizing the 'Reflecting Pool,' a Washington D.C. landmark remodeled to mark the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States
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