Former Olympian pleads not guilty to reflecting pool damage

David Hearn, a three-time Olympic canoeist, pleaded not guilty Thursday to a felony charge for allegedly damaging the recently refurbished Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.

"Today, Davey Hearn pled not guilty — because he is not guilty," Norm Eisen, one of his attorneys, said outside DC Superior Court. "If Mr. Hearn can be charged with a felony for touching the reflecting pool, every American is at risk — and every American should be alarmed about this prosecution."

Mr. Hearn was indicted last week for what U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro called a "deliberate act" to damage at least two square feet of the reflecting pool's sealant.

"We will not allow our sacred monuments to be roped off or diminished or in any way impacted by disgruntled individuals who think that they and not the rest of the nation have the right to decide what should happen," Ms. Pirro said at a news conference. "These landmarks and monuments belong to all of us, and they must be protected for generations to come."

Mr. Eisen called the case an "outrageous" abuse of prosecutorial resources and cast it as an effort to shift blame for the condition of the pool, which was quickly plagued by peeling sealant and algae blooms after its refurbishment.

"The indictment reflects the administration's effort to scapegoat Davey and to shift blame for their own failures," he said. "We have confidence in our justice system to see through this misuse of government power against an ordinary American based on a false and politicized narrative.

If convicted, Mr. Hearn could face up to 10 years in prison.

"It is not a crime to touch the reflecting pool, to touch water in the United States of America," Mr. Eisen told reporters.

Supporters of the former Olympian held protest signs and chanted "Davey! Davey!" after the arraignment.

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