The biker seemed an unlikely suspect to vandalize a monument. He was an Olympian just biking along. He admitted to merely reaching into the reflecting pool. That sounded plausible. The arrest seemed unnecessary. Then, he was indicted for a felony by a grand jury.
It seems there were witnesses.
FORMER U.S. OLYMPIAN INDICTED IN LINCOLN MEMORIAL REFLECTING POOL CASE
Former three-time U.S. Olympic canoeist David Hearn, 67, of Bethesda, MD has been indicted on a felony destruction of property charge after prosecutors say he vandalized the recently restored Lincoln Memorial… pic.twitter.com/3gQepo9Izt
— Scott Taylor (@ScottTaylorTV) July 2, 2026
Jeanine Pirro told the press during a press event on Thursday: “By Hearn’s own admission, on June 19, he reached down into the pool.”
“Our evidence further shows that the National Park Service employees observed Hearn actually forcefully and violently pulling up and removing the bottom liner with both hands.
According to witnesses, Hearn damaged approximately two square feet of the sealant. Pirro added that a National Park Service employee ordered Hearn to stop “his behavior and stop what he was doing.”
Hearn then shouted at the Parks employee that she cared too much about the D.C. Reflecting Pool. He asked her why she cared at all, since it was not her pool.
What is wrong with these people? Besides being immature and a bit daft.
US Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro just announced a felony indictment against former Olympian David Hern, a man who recently ripped up the freshly installed sealant layer in the reflecting pool in a “deliberate” manner. He is facing up to 10 years in prison… pic.twitter.com/evmLyveLU2
— Andrew Kolvet (@AndrewKolvet) July 2, 2026
