David Hearn Pleads Not Guilty in $16 Million Lincoln Reflecting Pool Damage Case
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Jul 15
David Hearn Pleads Not Guilty in $16 Million Lincoln Reflecting Pool Damage Case
3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Jul 15
Summary
David Hearn, a former Olympic canoe racer, pleaded not guilty last week in DC Superior Court to deliberately damaging the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool’s new liner.
Court records say park police were told a sharp knife or razor cut the liner on June 9, but Hearn says he only examined peeled sealant and dropped a chunk when a park worker told him to.
The case lands amid mounting scrutiny of the renovation, whose cost swelled from Trump’s initial $1.5 million estimate to more than $16 million after algae blooms and apparent peeling emerged within days of completion.
AP images from Wednesday showed the drained pool’s coating already faded to a grayer tone, with no obvious 350-foot slash visible from the Washington Monument despite Trump’s repeated claims that vandals caused the damage.
At least three other people also face misdemeanor charges over allegedly removing paint, while critics say the prosecutions are scapegoating visitors for what may be shoddy repair work.