A former US Olympian was arrested for allegedly vandalizing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington DC.
David Hearn, a three-time Olympic canoeist, was cycling past the monument on Friday when he said he stopped and noticed a piece of the pool’s liner floating in the water.
Hearn, 67, claimed to the Washington Post he reached out and touched the detached piece and was quickly taken into custody by Park Police at the beleaguered monument.
Video of the incident went viral, with Hearn shown looking bewildered as he’s confronted by members of the National Guard and then put in cuffs by US Park Police.
“I didn’t vandalize anything,” Hearn told The Washington Post.
“I didn’t destroy or break or peel anything. By the time I realized what was going on, I was being put in handcuffs,” he said.
“I reached in there, and I was able to grab the end of that flapping piece, the already peeling piece. It was still attached to the bottom. I didn’t remove anything,” he explained.
The Bethesda, Maryland, man was drawn to check out the Reflecting Pool because of its newly installed “American flag blue” liner, which has been deteriorating amidst an algae bloom.
Hearn competed in the Whitewater Slalom Canoe in the Summer Olympics in 1992, 1996, and 2000.
He also won Gold at two World Championships in 1985 and 1995 and came away with silver medals five times.
In 1995, Hearn was honored as USA Canoe Kayak Male Athlete of the Year.
He was detained for almost five hours at a Park Police facility in Hains Point, according to the Washington Post.
He is scheduled to appear in DC Superior Court on July 9 to face a misdemeanor charge of destruction of government property.
US Park Police did not respond to request for comment.
President Trump posted about the arrest on Truth Social.
“The United States Park Police have arrested multiple individuals for vandalizing our Nations magnificent Reflecting Poll,” he wrote.
“Who would do such a thing? These are very serious crimes having to do with the destruction of National Monuments. Years in jail! Work will begin immediately on its repair. President DJT.”
Trump pointed the finger at vandals Friday for the current dismal state of the Reflecting Pool, just weeks after a $14.8 million restoration project was completed.
“We’ve had some real problems with Vandalism at the beautiful Reflecting Pool, which sits between The Washington Monument and The Lincoln Memorial,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“Just like three days ago, they destroyed the grass outside the Pool, they’ve also done everything possible to hurt the inside surface that was just installed,” he continued.
“No different than the chemicals that were used on the National Mall, they used something similar in the Reflecting Pool to try to destroy and demean our beautiful work,” the president claimed.
Trump further claimed the vandalized area would be restored, and the algae resolved, by “early next week.”
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