A federal grand jury has indicted a former Olympian after he was arrested for allegedly defacing the Reflecting Pool after the White House renovated the site.
This comes after President Donald Trump announced six arrests of people accused of vandalizing the pool and promising harsh consequences.
From CNN:
David Hearn, a former Olympic canoeist, has been indicted by a grand jury in Washington, DC, Superior Court, after being arrested last month when he reached into the Reflecting Pool, a source familiar with the charges told CNN.
The exact charges are not yet available.
An attorney representing Hearn said he wasn’t aware yet of developments with the case since Hearn had previously received a citation, which was a lesser, misdemeanor set of charges.
Hearn previously told CNN that police arrested him after he touched a flap of blue material that partially detached from the bottom of the pool, which reopened last month following President Donald Trump’s multimillion-dollar renovation.
Hearn said a National Park Service worker warned him not to reach into the water before he was handcuffed by Park Police. He denied vandalizing the pool and said he was simply curious.
Trump warned late last month that those who he said “vandalized” the pool could face lengthy prison sentences. Trump also said six people were arrested and several others cited for alleged vandalism of the pool. None other than Hearn have been publicly identified.
U.S. Park Police arrested Hearn at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool last week. He had just finished a long bike ride when he stopped to look at the pool, which had just been repainted blue during the renovation, according to The Washington Post. He noticed that a piece of the new liner was coming loose at the bottom and he claims he only reached in to touch it.
“I didn’t vandalize anything,” he told reporters. “I didn’t destroy or break or peel anything. By the time I realized what was going on, I was being put in handcuffs.”
Recommended
'This is a meritless prosecution... every American should be concerned about this kind of thing.' Norm Eisen, the attorney representing David Hearn, the Olympian arrested at the reflecting pool, tells @andersoncooper what he believes is behind the move. pic.twitter.com/BH0jNGElPS
— The Lead CNN (@TheLeadCNN) June 22, 2026
The authorities arrested Hearn on a misdemeanor charge of destruction of government property. His lawyer blasted the prosecution effort, arguing that “It’s not a federal crime to touch water.”
Police have arrested other individuals for similar offenses. NBC News reported that at least five people were arrested and five more received citations. Others were alleged to have picked at or removed pieces of the blue coating.
Folks on the left were highly upset after President Donald Trump unveiled the renovation project ahead of America’s 250th anniversary celebration. Of course, none of the people who defaced the monument were actually making a statement. If Biden had been in office and renovated the pool, they’d have left it alone. But since Trump is the one doing it, then these people view it as a problem.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member