3-time Olympian pleads not guilty in Reflecting Pool damage case after Trump alleged vandalism

An Olympic canoe racer pleaded not guilty on Thursday to deliberately damaging the recently renovated Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, a politically charged case that his defense attorneys and other Trump administration critics have derided as an abuse of prosecutorial power.

David Hearn, who competed in three Summer Olympics, entered the plea through one of his attorneys during his initial appearance in D.C. Superior Court. Hearn, 67, of Bethesda, Maryland, was indicted last Thursday on a single felony count of property destruction.


Before the country's 250th independence celebrations, President Donald Trump launched a multi-million dollar renovation project for the Reflecting Pool, which was plagued by problems, including damage to its new coating. Trump, without providing evidence, has alleged the damage was caused by vandals.

Hearn has said he reached inside the pool to examine the peeled sealant and let go of a chunk when he was told to by a park worker. He is accused of causing more than $1,000 in damage.

 Every American should be alarmed about this prosecution,  defense attorney Norm Eisen said after the hearing.  It is not a crime to touch the Reflecting Pool. 

In front of a packed courtroom, D.C. Superior Court Judge Carmen McLean did not require Hearn to be supervised by the court while he is free awaiting a trial. A status hearing was scheduled for Aug. 5.

Prosecutor Kevin Reddington said the government wasn't seeking any court supervision for Hearn, but just a  stay-away order  without specifying in court where it wanted to keep Hearn away from.

Mary Dohrmann, one of Hearn's attorneys, urged the judge not to impose any conditions of court supervision, calling Hearn an  upstanding citizen and member of the community. 

 The government's evidence is weak,  she added.

David Hearn of the USA navigates the course during the men's canoeing slalom C-1 qualification event for the 2000 Sydney Olympics at the Penrith Whitewater Course in Sydney, Australia, on Sept. 17,

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