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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Michael Kunzelman

Former Olympian pleads not guilty in Reflecting Pool damage case after Trump alleged vandalism

Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool - (Copyright 2026 Associated Press. All rights reserved)

A former Olympic canoe racer pleaded not guilty on Thursday to deliberately damaging the recently renovated Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, a politically charged case that his defense attorneys and other Trump administration critics have derided as an abuse of prosecutorial power.

David Hearn, who competed in three Summer Olympics, entered the plea during his initial appearance in D.C. Superior Court. Hearn, 67, of Bethesda, Maryland, was indicted last Thursday on a single felony count of property destruction.

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