Olympian David Hearn was arrested for allegedly touching the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool amid President Donald Trump’s allegations that vandalism occurred on the monument.
The canoeist, 67, told the Washington Post on Saturday, June 20, that he was taken into custody on suspicion of misdemeanor destruction of presidency property yesterday and detained for five hours before eventually being released. Hearn has been ordered to reply the charge in a Washington D.C. Superior Court on July 9.
Per Hearn, he wrapped up a 52-mile bike ride by stopping by the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, which has undergone a controversial $14 million renovation project to color the underside of the pool “American flag blue.” The athlete said he noticed a piece of detached liner and reached contained in the water to see what the piece felt like.
“I didn’t destroy or break or peel anything,” he told the Post. “By the point I spotted what was occurring, I used to be being put in handcuffs.”
He added, “I reached in there, and I used to be in a position to grab the tip of that flapping piece, the already peeling piece. It was still attached to the underside. I didn’t remove anything.”
The 2000 Summer Olympics canoeist stressed that he “didn’t vandalize anything.”
Conservative Emily Miller shared footage of Hearn’s arrest, though she claimed that he’d “grabbed the hose that female National Park Service employees were using to clear the algae.” Hearn denied those accusations, though he acknowledged that his bicycle could have touched the hose.
Us Weekly has reached out to the U.S. Park Police for comment.
This incident occurred hours before Trump, 80, claimed via TruthSocial that vandals were answerable for deterioration of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
“We’ve cleaned, renovated, and beautified over 45 Monuments and Memorials, 28 Statues, and 22 Fountains in Washington,D.C.,” the president wrote on Friday, June 19. “Things are really looking good in our Nation’s Capital, and add to that the indisputable fact that after I became president, Crime was rampant, and now, Washington, D.C., is one in all the Safest Cities anywhere in the US.”
Park Service employees use vacuums to remove green algae from the underside of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
He went on, “Nonetheless, we’ve had some real problems with Vandalism at the gorgeous Reflecting Pool, which sits between The Washington Monument and The Lincoln Memorial. Identical to three days ago, they destroyed the grass outside of the Pool, they’ve also done every part possible to harm the within surface that was just installed.”
The Recent York Times reported on Friday that the pool appeared to be rejecting elements of its renovation, with excessive peeling, “chunks of coating” and sections of “American flag blue” visible to visitors amid an ongoing algae problem.
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“It’s a shame that the Radical Left Lunatics, most probably Dumocats, who’ve spent their lives attempting to destroy our Country, are free to achieve this,” the president added on Friday. “Law Enforcement is actively investigating this case, and can hopefully have it resolved soon. Thanks on your attention to this matter!”