Ex-Olympian pleads not guilty in $1,000 Reflecting Pool case
What's next: David Hearn is due back in court Aug. 5 on a felony charge that could carry up to 10 years in prison.
Former Olympic canoeist David Hearn pleaded not guilty Thursday in Washington to a felony property-destruction charge tied to damage at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. Prosecutors accuse Hearn, 67, of deliberately pulling up about 2 square feet of newly installed sealant on June 19, causing more than $1,000 in damage. Hearn has denied damaging the liner, saying he reached into the water to inspect material that had already peeled away. The case has become entangled with criticism of the Trump administration’s troubled $13 million renovation of the pool, which has faced algae problems and peeling sealant. Hearn’s lawyers argue he is being blamed for broader failures in the project.