U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro announced on Thursday a felony indictment against former U.S. Olympic canoeist David Hearn for damaging part of the sealant of the Reflecting Pool on the National Mall.
Pirro said a federal grand jury returned a one-count felony indictment for destruction of property with a penalty of up to 10 years in prison for an incident that occurred on June 19, 2026.
“The evidence shows, and we will prove beyond a reasonable doubt, that Hearn willfully destroyed property at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool,” she said.
Pirro recounted that National Park Service employees saw Hearn “forcefully and violently pulling up and removing the bottom liner with both hands,” damaging about two square feet of the sealant.
The sealant had been installed on the bottom of the pool as part of a $14 million renovation project.
The water is ON, the Reflecting Pool is reflecting, and D.C. is looking better than ever.
We are so back. THANK YOU, PRESIDENT TRUMP. 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/J3xE33XiA5
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) June 4, 2026
“A Parks employee actually told Hearn to stop, to stop his behavior and stop what he was doing. Hearn reacted by shouting at that Parks employee, saying that she cared too much about the Reflecting Pool, and why did she even care, since it wasn’t her pool,” Pirro said.
Pirro added that witnesses described Hearn’s behavior as “belligerent, rude, and disrespectful.”
WATCH LIVE: U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro updates Reflecting Pool case https://t.co/rZQTZ8vZsm
— Fox News (@FoxNews) July 2, 2026
Hearn, 67, told the Associated Press, “I’m a curious citizen,” so, “I reached down to see what it felt like. It was very rubbery.”
Attorneys representing him said in a statement to NBC News, “Davey Hearn is innocent. These charges are outrageous and should be alarming to every American. This indictment reflects the administration’s effort to shift blame for their own failures.”
“On the eve of our nation’s Independence Day, Americans should be deeply concerned by the misuse of government power against an ordinary citizen based on a concocted narrative. The justice system exists to determine facts, not to provide political cover,” they added.
Hearn had previously told NBC News, “The condition of the Reflecting Pool was the same after I stepped away from the water as it was before I got there.”
NBC News reported that “last month, the National Park Service said that the liner of the bottom of the pool was cut with a sharp knife or razor, causing damage to the foam sealant.”
That particular incident happened on June 9.
President Donald Trump said in a Truth Social post last month that six people had been arrested and seven cited for allegedly damaging the Reflecting Pool.
President Trump Says Six Arrested, Seven Cited After Vandals Damage White House Reflecting Pool With 350-Foot Series of Knife or Razor Slashes as Crews Prepare Permanent Repairs Around Fourth of July pic.twitter.com/R8nqFzaH6p
— Bruce Snyder (@realBruceSnyder) June 23, 2026
“The 350 foot gash, made by a very sharp knife or razors, is actually numerous slashes over a very long 350 foot length,” Trump posted. “It was purposefully and criminally done, and somebody had to work very hard, probably in the dark of night, to create such a condition.”
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