The Justice Department has now dropped charges against all four defendants accused of vandalizing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool after the Trump administration renovated it.
President Donald Trump on Monday criticized U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro for dropping the charges.
From Fox 5 DC:
Charges have now been dropped against all four defendants who were accused of vandalizing the recently renovated Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
Big picture view:The Justice Department had previously moved to dismiss the charges against former Olympian David Hearn, saying that the damage to the pool was the result of flawed installation and the rush to complete the project. Hearn had pleaded not guilty to a felony charge of property destruction in early July.
Court records now show that prosecutors are dropping the charges against the three other defendants – Justin Carreno, Cameron Thiers and Sophie Dennison-Gibby – who were all accused of destruction of property with a value of less than $1,000.
Hearn had previously claimed that he was riding a bike near the Reflecting Pool when he stopped to check out the newly peeled coating. He said he briefly touched a chunk attached to the side of the pool, but insisted he let go of it at the direction of a park worker.
President Donald Trump ordered a multimillion-dollar renovation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool earlier in 2026 as part of preparations for America’s 250th anniversary celebrations, including the installation of a new blue liner in the basin at an estimated cost of about $16 million.
The project was substantially complete by early June, and the pool was refilled with water. After the rehabilitation project was complete, the U.S. Park Police responded to an NPS report of damage to the reflecting pool, including a caulk over the foam sealant that was cut with a sharp knife or razor and destruction of delaminating surface material. Also, about 70 fence post tops were thrown into the pool.
An Interior Department spokesperson said, “So as not to encourage deranged individuals, we did not announce what we hoped to be an isolated incident.” The spokesperson added, “It wasn’t until several days thereafter that there were recurring cases and videos of people ripping at the coating began to circulate. We then knew this was not an isolated incident, but a new trend to attempt to damage the Reflecting Pool.”
CNN reported that officers detained Cameron Thiers, Sophie Dennison-Gibby and Justin Carreno on June 20 after describing in court documents witnessing them peeling and removing pieces of blue paint from the Reflecting Pool.
One officer “witnessed Carreno reach down into the reflecting pool and pull up a piece of the blue paint,” according to the court documents. Former Olympic canoeist David Hearn was arrested on June 19 in connection with an incident at the pool.
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro slammed the vandals, saying, “After months of renovations ordered by President Trump to prepare our capital for America’s 250th anniversary—including the restoration of more than 50 parks, 48 monuments, and 22 fountains—these deliberate acts of destruction set back real progress and violate the law.”
OVERNIGHT 🚨: President Trump on Truth Social: “ABC Fake News and its shaky anchor, David Muir, said that the Reflecting Pool was drained to address Peeling Paint (there is no paint, it was slashed with a knife, or box cutter, high grade colored waterproofing liner - it was… pic.twitter.com/DveNJCh5xb
— Dr Charlie Ward (@charlie_ward77) July 14, 2026
She added, “Vandalism at treasured places like the Reflecting Pool is an affront to our shared history and the dignity of our national heritage. These monuments belong to all of us, and we will protect them—and hold accountable those who seek to deface or diminish them.”
Hearn told The Washington Post, “I didn’t vandalize anything” and “I didn’t destroy or break or peel anything. By the time I realized what was going on, I was being put in handcuffs.” According to the Interior Department, as reported by Forbes, at least seven people were arrested for vandalizing the pool.
President Trump lashed out at Pirro over the dropped charges. “I don’t know what she was thinking? To me, it was a pure case of VANDALISM,” he wrote in a post on Truth Social. He continued, “There may have been some contractor difficulty, but the major damage was caused by VANDALS!”
There have been rumors that Pirro has lost her job over the matter, but this has not yet been confirmed.
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