A canoeist who competed in three Olympic Games has been arrested over accusations that he damaged President Donald Trump’s newly refurbished Reflecting Pool in Washington, DC — though the athlete insists he did nothing more than touch it.
David Hearn was taken into custody by US Park Police on Friday on a misdemeanor count of destroying government property, after he said he only placed his hand on the liner of the Reflecting Pool near the Lincoln Memorial, the Washington Post reported.
Hearn told the newspaper he was passing the memorial during a 52-mile bicycle ride when he noticed the pool’s liner appeared to be loose, prompting him to bend down and feel it.
‘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,’ Hearn said.
The Reflecting Pool has become a frustration for the Trump administration after its ambition to make the water appear ‘American Blue’ was undercut by stubborn green algae.
Word of Hearn’s arrest first circulated through video posted by online journalist Emily Miller, showing several officers surrounding the former Olympic athlete as he stood dressed in full cycling gear.
Miller alleged that Hearn ‘grabbed the hose that female National Park Service workers were using to clear the algae.’
Crews have reportedly been seen working to remove the algae nearly every day since Trump revealed the polished new pool.
David Hearn was arrested on Friday for destruction of government property in Washington DC. He previously competed on Team USA at the Olympics in the 90s
The Reflecting Pool at the Lincoln Memorial has been plagued by green algae despite a massive restoration project
Hearn denied the allegations to the Washington Post and said he did not vandalize the Reflecting Pool
Hearn’s interaction with the police and National Guard appeared cordial. He asked the officers what he was being held for and whether he was free to go.
However, another clip revealed Hearn being handcuffed with his hands behind his back as several officers crowded around him.
Hearn is from Bethesda, Maryland, and graduated from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, according to his Olympian profile.
He was an accomplished canoeist, competing in the sport competitively from the late 1970s to the early 2000s.
Hearn’s first Olympics were in Barcelona in 1992, returning for the games in Atlanta four years later. He also competed in Sydney in 2000.
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He has won two gold medals and five silver medals. Hearn has also won six consecutive world championship medals.
Canoeing runs in the family business as his sister, Catherine, competed for the US and won a world championship title in 1979.
Donald Trump posted about the alleged vandalism on Truth Social on Friday evening, although he did not refer to Hearn by name.
Crews have been spotted clearing out the green algae from the Reflecting Pool for weeks
The green algae has thwarted Donald Trump’s plans to beautify DC monuments, including cleaning up the Reflecting Pool so it can be used as intended
Kearn competed as a canoeist on Team USA at the Olympics in 1992, 1996 and 2000. He is pictured above competing at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney
The president said that DC officials have had ‘some real problems with vandalism at the beautiful Reflecting Pool,’ referring to an incident earlier this week.
‘It’s a shame that the Radical Left Lunatics, most likely Dumocats, who have spent their lives trying to ruin our Country, are free to do so,’ Trump wrote.
‘Law Enforcement is actively investigating this situation, and will hopefully have it resolved soon.’
The president also accused ‘lightweight ABC Reporter Jonathan Karl’ of sticking his hand in the pool and trying to rub the water off the surface.
Karl reported for ABC News on Thursday that his team found the Reflecting Pool filled with gunk and green algae, adding that the paint job appeared to be falling apart.
Trump added that the algae is 75 percent gone and that damage from vandalism would be repaired by early next week.
The president praised his efforts to beautify DC, claiming that his administration has restored 45 monuments and memorials, 28 statues and 22 fountains.
The Daily Mail has reached out to the White House for further comment.
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