UMVA has learned that a dramatic incident unfolded at the iconic Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington, D.C., involving a former American Olympic canoeist.
David Hearn, 67, a three-time Olympian, was cycling past the monument on Friday when he claimed to have noticed a piece of the pool's liner floating in the water. He said he removed his cycling glove to touch the rubbery liner, which he believed had "delaminated from the bottom of the pool."
Hearn was immediately stopped by U.S. Park Police and National Guard troops, and a video of his arrest went viral, showing him looking bewildered as he's confronted by the National Guard before being cuffed by U.S. Park Police.
In a statement, Hearn insisted, "I didn't vandalize anything. 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 maintained that he only grabbed the already peeling piece of liner, which was still attached to the bottom of the pool.
Hearn is facing a misdemeanor charge of destruction of government property and is scheduled to appear in DC Superior Court on July 9. The incident sparked a strong reaction from U.S. President Donald Trump, who claimed that "many additional people" have been arrested in connection with "disgraceful vandalism."
The President took to social media to express his outrage, stating that the vandals had poured chemicals into the pool, which would require it to be drained for repairs. He vowed to have the reflecting pool repaired as soon as possible, describing it as a "magnificent structure."
The incident occurred just weeks after a $14.8 million restoration project was completed, leaving the pool in a seriously vandalized state. Hearn, a native of Bethesda, Md., is a two-time World Champion, having won gold in 1985 and 1995 in the Whitewater Slalom Canoe category.
He competed in the 1992, 1996, and 2000 Summer Olympics and was detained for almost five hours at a Park Police facility in Hains Point, Md.
