Published on 02/07/2026 - 21:59 GMT+2

A former Olympian was indicted on Thursday on a felony charge in what President Donald Trump has called vandalism of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington.

David Hearn, a former Olympic canoe racer, was indicted on a single count of property destruction in a Washington court.

District of Columbia US Attorney Jeanine Pirro said Hearn ripped up recently installed sealant on pool in “a deliberate act” that caused more than $1,000 (€875) in damage.

She accused him of “forcefully and violently” pulling up bottom liner “with both hands” and acting belligerently towards an employee who told him to stop.

“This is a case with tremendous evidence,” she said, adding that authorities have made about six other misdemeanour arrests.

Hearn didn't immediately return a phone call seeking comment.

He previously told the Associated Press news agency that he reached into the pool on 19 June to examine the newly peeled coating.

He said he briefly touched a chunk that was still attached to the side of the pool, then let go shortly after a park worker told him to.

Hearn, 67, of Bethesda, Maryland, owned a company that made composite materials used to build watercraft. He said he stopped by the pool during a 64-mile bike ride.

He said he was detained by National Guard troops and Park Police for five hours before being released.

Trump said earlier this month that federal authorities made “multiple arrests” of people he accused of vandalising the Reflecting Pool as he struggled to explain why the $14-million (€12 million) rehabilitation project he launched for the nation’s 250th anniversary seemingly backfired.

Instead of turning a vibrant “American flag blue,” the pool turned green with algae blooming in the water within a matter of days after work was completed.