A three-time U.S. Olympic canoeist now faces a criminal charge after he stopped during a 52-mile bike ride to inspect the peeling bottom of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool — a federally restored monument that cost taxpayers $14.8 million.
David Hearn, 67, of Bethesda, Maryland, was arrested Friday by U.S. Park Police at the monument and charged with destruction of government property, according to Mediaite.
Hearn was held for roughly five hours by National Guard troops and Park Police before his release that night, according to The Associated Press. He is set to appear in D.C. Superior Court on July 9.
The former Olympian said he paused his ride to feel the detached blue liner along the pool’s floor.
“I reached in there, and I was able to grab the end of that flapping piece, the already peeling piece. It was still attached to the bottom. I didn’t remove anything.”
Hearn told The Washington Post he didn’t vandalize, destroy, or peel anything. “I’m a curious citizen,” he told The Associated Press. “I reached down to see what it felt like. It was very rubbery.”
A conservative journalist, Emily Miller, filmed the arrest and wrote that Hearn allegedly seized a hose that workers were using to clear algae, according to Raw Story. That alleged act does not appear in her video.
President Donald Trump announced multiple arrests at the pool and posted about jail time on Truth Social:
“These are very serious crimes having to do with the destruction of National Monuments. Years in jail!” Trump wrote.
The pool underwent a $14.8 million restoration, according to the New York Post. Its new blue coating turned green with algae, and the lining began peeling after workers applied chemicals to treat the bloom, according to The Associated Press.
The charges remain allegations. The case has not been proven in court.
