Former US Olympian David Hearn indicted in alleged Reflecting Pool vandalism

U.S. Attorney Judge Jeanine Pirro called out the defacing of national monuments and statues.

Former U.S. Olympic canoeist David "Davey" Hearn was indicted on a felony destruction of property charge after his arrest last month at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington, D.C., according to U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro.

Hearn, a former U.S. Olympic canoeist, was charged Thursday in D.C. Superior Court after the June 19 incident.

Hearn has denied damaging the recently renovated Reflecting Pool, saying he stopped during a bike ride and merely touched a loose piece of the peeling blue coating "to satisfy my curiosity as a citizen." 

Former U.S. Olympian David Hearn was indicted over alleged vandalism at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. (David Madison/Getty Images)

The indictment comes after several people were arrested or cited for alleged damage to the Reflecting Pool, which underwent a more than $14 million rehabilitation project under President Donald Trump.

WHITE HOUSE CONDEMNS 'TARGETED SABOTAGE' OF REFLECTING POOL AS REPAIRS PUSHED PAST JULY 4 CELEBRATION

The president previously blamed vandals for the damage to the pool, which features a blue coating he calls "American flag blue."

Hearn's attorney has responded to the indictment. 

"Davey Hearn is innocent. These charges are outrageous and should be alarming to every American. This indictment reflects the Administration’s effort to shift blame for their own failures. On the eve of our nation’s Independence Day, Americans should be deeply concerned by the misuse of government power against an ordinary citizen based on a concocted narrative. The justice system exists to determine facts, not provide political cover," the statement read. 

Hearn's arrest