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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Coral Murphy Marcosand Robert Tait

Former US Olympian pleads not guilty to damaging reflecting pool amid Trump’s renovation

a man in a suit and tie in front of a crowd with signs
David Hearn on 9 July 2026 in Washington DC. Photograph: Rod Lamkey/AP

David Hearn, a former Olympic canoe racer, pleaded not guilty on Thursday to damaging Washington’s reflecting pool after a $14.7m renovation project.

Hearn, a three-time US Olympian, was indicted last week on a single felony count of property destruction. He appeared in local superior court in Washington DC to enter the plea after he was criminally charged over the incident in mid-June.

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