The Trump administration on Friday dropped its criminal case against David “Davey” Hearn, a former US Olympic canoeist charged with vandalizing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington, acknowledging the damage was caused by a botched contractor installation rather than vandalism.
In a filing Friday afternoon, a supervisor in the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, which is led by Jeanine Pirro, wrote that officials obtained information that undermined “the evidentiary basis for the indictment” against Hearn. Prosecutors said the Interior Department “provided additional documents to the USAO-DC indicating that damage to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in June 2026 was the result of flawed installation by the contractor, Atlantic Industrial Coatings.”
The Justice Department filing said that based on its review of evidence, “it is difficult to attribute the widespread damage to the Reflecting Pool to vandalism, let alone to establish that fact beyond a reasonable doubt.” Pirro’s office also moved to dismiss at least one of the other three misdemeanor cases brought in connection with the pool. CNBC reported that Pirro blamed “the rush to complete the project prior to events associated with the America 250 celebration in the weeks surrounding Independence Day 2026.”
Hearn, 67, was charged in early July with felony destruction of property after prosecutors alleged he caused more than $1,000 in damage. At a news conference, Pirro said he “violently” ripped up part of the pool’s liner with his bare hands. Hearn pleaded not guilty and told NBC News the pool’s condition was exactly the same after he put his hands in the water as it was when he arrived.
President Donald Trump had repeatedly claimed, without providing evidence, that vandals cut a gash hundreds of feet long along the bottom of the pool after its renovation. The pool, one of the most visited landmarks on the National Mall, was renovated ahead of the America 250 celebrations, and National Guard members patrolled its rim in June after damage appeared.
“The Government’s case against Davey Hearn should never have been brought,” attorney Steven Levin said in a statement. “Its dismissal today does not erase the abuse of government power in arresting and charging a patriotic American. The government’s approach was ready, shoot, aim. The federal government owes Mr. Hearn an apology.” Hearn’s attorneys, including Norm Eisen and Mary Dohrmann, accused the administration of making him a “scapegoat” for the troubled renovation.
The dismissal is a setback for the administration’s high-profile prosecution, which critics called an overreach built on incomplete information from the Interior Department and the US Park Police. A spokesperson for Pirro said the filing speaks for itself. The Justice Department has not said whether it will pursue the remaining cases connected to the pool.
Author: USA Desk
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