US drops case against Olympian in Lincoln Pool damage charge
What's new: Prosecutors said newly uncovered evidence pointed to faulty construction, not vandalism, undermining the felony case.
The Justice Department moved Friday to dismiss a felony property destruction case against former Olympian David Hearn, who had been accused of damaging the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington. In a 20-page filing, government lawyers wrote that evidence developed after Hearn’s indictment showed the pool’s problems stemmed from a flawed contractor installation and a rush to finish the project before America 250 events around Independence Day 2026. Prosecutors wrote that, given that information, they could not tie the broader damage to vandalism beyond a reasonable doubt. Hearn, 67, of Bethesda, Maryland, had pleaded not guilty and faced trial in D.C. Superior Court in September.