A felony destruction of property charge stemming from alleged damage to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was met with a not guilty plea Thursday by David Hearn, a three-time U.S. Olympic canoeist, who appeared in D.C. Superior Court after a grand jury returned the indictment.
According to NBC News, the 67-year-old Bethesda, Maryland resident stands accused of tearing liner material from the pool floor on June 19 in an act prosecutors say caused damages exceeding $1,000. Pirro, who serves as U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, has pointed to what she called "tremendous evidence" that Hearn used both hands to "forcefully and violently" pull the pool's bottom liner free, according to the Guardian.
Hearn's account holds that he did nothing more than touch a strip of coating that had already come loose, stepping back from the pool at a park worker's instruction. "I didn't vandalize anything," Hearn told the Washington Post. "I didn't destroy or break or peel anything."
Outside the courthouse, defense attorney Norm Eisen told reporters the case had no business being filed. The prosecution sets a dangerous standard, he argued: "If Mr. Hearn could be charged with a felony for touching the reflecting pool, every American is at risk," according to The Associated Press. D.C. Superior Court Judge Carmen McLean imposed no supervision requirements, allowing Hearn to go free pending a return court date set for Aug. 5.
A crowd of supporters — many holding signs bearing slogans like "Free Davey" — greeted Hearn with chants of his name when he stepped out of the courthouse, according to the Guardian. Separate misdemeanor destruction of property charges tied to the same pool brought not guilty pleas from three additional defendants — Sophie Elaine Dennison-Gibby, Justin Toribio Carreno, and Cameron Michael Thiers — who were arraigned the day before Hearn, according to NBC News.
Ordered by Trump as part of preparations for the nation's 250th anniversary, the pool's rehabilitation effort ran to more than $14 million, yet repeated setbacks — among them algae outbreaks and a liner that has been coming apart — have dogged the project since its completion. According to The New York Times, the nanobubblers — machines that purify the water and keep algae in check — were taken out by the National Park Service prior to a June 12 promotional event, and by the time crews put them back approximately 36 hours later, algae had already begun spreading through the pool. According to The Associated Press, Trump has alleged, without backing it up with any evidence, that individuals poured fertilizer into the pool and used a blade to slash through the coating.