David ‘Davey’ Hearn in court, pleads not guilty to damaging Reflecting Pool
Lawyers for the former canoe racer called accusations he deliberately damaged the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool a ‘concocted narrative’.
A former US Olympic canoe racer has pleaded not guilty to deliberately damaging the recently renovated Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington DC, a politically charged case that his defence lawyers have derided as an abuse of prosecutorial power.
David Hearn, who competed in three Summer Olympics, entered the plea during his initial appearance in DC Superior Court.
Hearn, 67, of Bethesda, Maryland, was indicted last Thursday on a single felony count of property destruction.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.US President Donald Trump ordered a multimillion-dollar renovation of the Reflecting Pool ahead of the country’s 250th anniversary this month but the project has been plagued with problems.
Workers have used chemicals to curtail an algae bloom.
Mr Trump has said the pool likely would need to be drained again for liner repairs after chunks of blue coating were seen floating at the surface.
Mr Trump has accused vandals of dumping fertiliser into the pool and slashing the coating with a box cutter.
US Attorney Jeanine Pirro, the top federal prosecutor for the District of Columbia, said last week that six other people were arrested on misdemeanour charges related to the $US16 million ($A23 million) pool project.
Hearn’s lawyers have said the charges against him are based on a “concocted narrative” and “should be alarming to every American”.
“This indictment reflects the administration’s effort to shift blame for their own failures,” the lawyers said in a statement.
“The justice system exists to determine facts, not to provide political cover.”
Hearn previously told the Associated Press that he was detained by National Guard troops and US Park Police for five hours after stopping by the pool during a 100km bike ride on June 19.
He said he reached in to examine newly peeled coating and briefly touched a chunk attached to the side of the pool, but obeyed a park worker who told him to let go of it.
Ms Pirro accused Hearn of causing more than $US1000 in damage by ripping up recently installed sealant from the pool and acting belligerently towards an employee who told him to stop.
