Escalation: DOJ indicts David Hearn

A D.C. grand jury indicted former U.S. Olympic canoeist David Hearn on a felony count of destroying government property over a June 19 incident at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. The charge alleges more than $1,000 in damage, elevating the case from the misdemeanor issued at his arrest. A conviction could carry up to 10 years in prison.

The indictment accuses Hearn of ripping up about two square feet of the pool’s new blue liner with his bare hands. Park Service employees are described as having watched him pull at the bottom liner and tell him to stop, after which he allegedly shouted that the worker cared too much about the pool and asked why she cared since it was not her pool. Prosecutors plan to use an expert to show the repair would exceed the $1,000 felony threshold.

Hearn, 67, denies damaging the pool, saying he only touched a loose piece of coating during a stop on a long bike ride and was detained for about five hours. Prosecutors are also reviewing about six other Reflecting Pool cases, some of which may be charged as misdemeanors or lesser violations.

AI-synthesized from multiple reported sources