US prosecutors have dropped charges against a former Olympian who had been accused of vandalising the Reflecting Pool in Washington DC, writing in court documents that the damage is now believed to be “the result of flawed installation by the contractor”.
President Donald Trump had previously blamed the damage on “sick, deranged” vandals.
But a document filed by prosecutors in Washington DC on Friday says new information “strongly suggests that a rushed and botched installation” job overseen by the US Department of Interior led to the damage.
David Hearn, a champion canoeist, had been facing a 10-year prison sentence if found guilty after his arrest last month.
The Washington Post via Getty Images
A piece of the new blue paint could be seen peeling off the bottom of the pool on Thursday
In a statement, Hearn’s lawyers accused the Trump administration of abuse of power, and said it “owes Mr Hearn an apology”.
Hearn previously told the BBC that he “didn’t destroy, rip, tear, peel, or remove any part” of the paint in the pool. Asked by the BBC on Friday if he is planning legal action over the government missteps that led to the charges and false public accusations, he declined to comment.
The document filed by US Attorney for Washington DC Jeanine Pirro blames contractors for rushing the paint installation process as part of Trump’s efforts to beautify the city ahead of the country’s 250th independence anniversary on 4 July.
He was not the only one. At least three others were charged with vandalism, court records show. Five more received citations from police, an administration official told CBS News, the BBC’s US partner. They include one person who Trump claimed had used a blade “put a 250 foot long gash into the beautiful facade”. It’s unclear if all of the charges now have been dropped.
In the court filing on Friday, the Trump administration said new information from the Department of Interior (DOI) indicated “that damage to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in June 2026 was the result of flawed installation by the contractor” and “the rush to complete the project prior to events associated with the America 250 celebration in the weeks surrounding Independence Day 2026”.
“It was not until after these documents were produced that [prosecutors] first became aware of information showing that the damage was the result of a botched installation and not vandalism as initially represented by DOI.”
