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By Joshua Rhett Miller
Senior Reporter
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A former Olympian who was arrested for allegedly vandalizing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool plans to fight the misdemeanor charge, insisting his actions did not constitute a crime.
David Hearn, 67, was detained by National Guard troops and U.S. Park Police for five hours on Friday after he reached into the water to get a closer look at paint peeling away from the Reflecting Pool amid a $14 million renovation.
"I did nothing wrong," Hearn told Newsweek during a brief interview Tuesday on the misdemeanor charge of destruction of government property he now faces.
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Hearn, a former Olympic canoe racer now living in Bethesda, Maryland, said he's worried about potential consequences as President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that six people had been arrested and seven others cited for allegedly damaging the "now beautiful" Reflecting Pool.
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"I think I might be the only person whose name is public of those arrests or citations," Hearn said Tuesday.
Newsweek on Tuesday reached out to the U.S. Park Police, National Park Service, Department of Justice and Department of Interior officials for comment.
Hearn said he's concerned about being unfairly targeted by the Trump administration following unsubstantiated claims that vandals dumped fertilizer in the massive pool and used knives or razors to create a 350-foot gash in the new liner.
"I feel like I was targeted and I'm feeling singled out—definitely,” Hearn said.
The former Olympian is also worried about being convicted and possibly facing jail time, he said.
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"Yes, especially with the current posture of the government toward ignoring the rule of law and people's civil rights and such," Hearn said before referring additional inquiries to his attorney and a spokesperson.
Hearn's attorney, Norm Eisen, said his client, who is scheduled to appear in D.C. Superior Court on July 9, plans to fight the charge, which is punishable by a fine up to $100,000 or one year in jail if the property damage does not exceed $100, according to the Department of Justice.
"Treating ordinary conduct as criminal diverts attention from the real questions of how this project was managed, including its corrupt no-bid contracting process," Eisen told Newsweek in a statement Tuesday. "Using the criminal justice system to target innocent people as a form distraction is textbook authoritarian behavior."
Earlier Tuesday, Trump announced that six people had been arrested and seven others cited for allegedly vandalizing the pool after an algae bloom occurred during an ongoing overhaul.
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"The 350 foot gash, made by a very sharp knife or razors, is actually numerous slashes over a very long 350 foot length," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "It was purposefully and criminally done, and somebody had to work very hard, probably in the dark of night, to create such a condition. Likewise, the small area at the bottom of the Pool was cut and powerfully lifted off the surface leaving very jagged, uneven edges."
Large swaths of nearby grass are also being replaced, Trump added, without providing details. It is unclear if he was referring to June 11, when authorities discovered the numbers "8647" etched into a section of browned grass on the National Mall lawn.
"In any event, even prior to fixing those areas, the Reflecting Pool is as beautiful as it can be," the post continued. "We will drain some of the water, either immediately before or after the Fourth of July, to do the permanent repair."
Hearn previously said he reached into the water and grabbed the end of flapping piece of liner that was still attached to the bottom of the pool.
"I didn't vandalize anything," Hearn told The Washington Post on Saturday, hours after being released at about 9 p.m. Friday. "I didn't destroy or break or peel anything. By the time I realized what was going on, I was being put in handcuffs."
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Dave Siminoff and Jason Lemon.
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