Ex-Olympian Indicted Over Reflecting Pool Vandalism Charge

U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro characterized the incident as a deliberate act, alleging the 67-year-old Bethesda resident caused over $1,000 in damage by forcefully pulling up the pool’s bottom liner. Pirro stated that prosecutors possess significant evidence, noting that federal authorities have already made roughly six other misdemeanor arrests regarding the site. Hearn’s legal counsel, Norm Eisen of the Democracy Defenders Fund and Mary Dohrmann of the Washington Litigation Group, dismissed the charges as an alarming misuse of government power against an ordinary citizen.

Hearn, who previously owned a company specializing in composite materials for watercraft, offered a different account of the June 19 incident. He maintained that he was merely a curious citizen checking the texture of the pool’s coating during a long-distance bike ride. According to Hearn, he touched a piece of the material that was already loose and ceased immediately upon being warned by a park worker. He was subsequently detained for five hours by National Guard troops and U.S. Park Police. The incident occurs as the Trump administration scrambles to rectify a $16-million rehabilitation project ahead of the nation’s 250th anniversary, a site currently plagued by persistent algae blooms and failed liner repairs.