Reflecting Pool vandalism charges against Olympic canoeist David Hearn permanently dismissed

October 1, 2026 / 11:52 AM EDT / CBS News

A Washington, D.C., judge permanently dismissed the criminal indictment against U.S. Olympic canoeist David Hearn Thursday, ending a months-long saga around allegations of vandalism to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool after the government admitted to a "botched" construction job in recent renovations.

In August, federal prosecutors asked Superior Court Judge Todd Edelman to dismiss the criminal indictment against Hearn, who had been charged with felony destruction of government property. He was accused of causing more than $1,000 in damage to the sealant that was installed last summer at the bottom of the Reflecting Pool.

Hearn pleaded not guilty to the charges, saying he had stopped by the pool in July while on a 64-mile bike ride through the nation's capital. He said he was arrested after he reached down into the pool and was detained for five hours.

The project to renovate the pool has been championed by President Trump, who in April launched an effort to address the pool's "terrible" condition, part of a slate of spring cleaning projects in Washington, D.C., ahead of the nation's 250th birthday. He had the pool's stone flooring coated with a sealant he…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/entertainment/