WASHINGTON, July 2 (DC Times Online) — A federal grand jury in Washington, D.C., indicted former U.S. Olympian David Hearn on a felony property-destruction charge over alleged damage at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, according to court records and a statement from U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro.
Pirro said the government would prove Hearn intentionally damaged the pool liner. Prosecutors alleged he removed about two square feet of sealant and caused more than $1,000 in damage, according to the statement cited in reporting by the New York Post and ABC Australia.
Hearn has denied damaging the pool. He told ABC News he stopped during a bike ride to look at the newly renovated surface, touched a loose piece of blue coating and did not break or peel anything. “I’m a curious citizen,” he told the Associated Press, as relayed by ESPN.
Hearn’s attorney, Norm Eisen, said the defense would challenge the case. “There’s no justification for this. We plan to challenge it vigorously,” Eisen told The Hill.
