[ad_1]
Listen to this article
Estimated 2 minutes
The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.
A former U.S. Olympian was indicted Thursday on a felony charge in what President Donald Trump has called vandalism of the reflecting pool.
David Hearn, a former Olympic canoe racer, was indicted on a single count of property destruction in Washington, D.C., court.
District of Columbia U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said Hearn ripped up recently installed sealant on the pool in “a deliberate act” that caused more than $1,000 US in damage. She accused him of “forcefully and violently” pulling up bottom liner “with both hands” and acting belligerent toward an employee who told him to stop.
“This is a case with tremendous evidence,” she said, adding that authorities have made about six other misdemeanors arrests.
Hearn didn’t immediately return a phone call seeking comment.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s attempt to repair and repaint the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington, D.C., is not going as planned. Andrew Chang breaks down the race to fix a slew of problems by Independence Day, from large swaths of peeling paint to swampy algae blooms.
(Photo credits: The Canadian Press, Reuters, Adobe Stock and Getty Images)
He previously told The Associated Press that he reached into the pool 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, Md., owned a company that made composite materials used to build watercraft. He said he stopped by the pool during a 102-kilometre bike ride.
He said he was detained by National Guard troops and U.S. Park Police for five hours before being released.
Trump has said federal authorities made “multiple arrests” of people he said were vandalizing the reflecting pool as he struggled to explain why the $14-million-plus US rehabilitation project he launched for the nation’s 250th anniversary seemingly backfired.
[ad_2]
Source link