Former Olympian pleads not guilty in reflecting pool vandalism charges

Former U.S. Olympian David Hearn (left) walks with his attorney Norman Eisen to speak to reporters and protesters gathered after his arraignment at the Superior Court of the District of Columbia in Washington, D.C. on Thursday. Finn Gomez/Getty Images hide caption

Former U.S. Olympic canoeist David Hearn pleaded not guilty to damaging the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in D.C. Superior Court Thursday morning.

Federal prosecutors charged Hearn, 67, with a single count of destruction of property causing more than $1,000 in damage to the pool.

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Hearn, who wore a dark suit jacket and tan pants, sat between his two defense attorneys in the crowded and stuffy courtroom and said little. Attorney Mary Dohrmann entered his plea for him.

Dohrmann said Hearn — who competed in the 1992, 1996 and 2000 Summer Olympics — was born in Washington, D.C., and has lived there almost his entire life. He is an "upstanding citizen" and the government's evidence is "weak," she argued in court

The government attempted, unsuccessfully, to bar Hearn from the reflecting pool while the case continues.

Hearn has previously claimed, which his attorneys repeated during a short press conference outside the court, that he simply touched the water in the pool out of curiosity last month.

At the time, the Trump administration had just completed a $14 million renovation of the pool.

"This was a deliberate act to damage the reflecting pool at the National Mall that members of the National Park Service actually have worked hard to restore and have witnessed," U.S. Attorney for D.C. Jeanine Pirro said of Hearn's actions previously.

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But shortly after the work finished, peeling paint and algae gathered in the water. The remodel has been largely criticized as a massive failure and waste of taxpayer dollars.

While Hearn remained quiet Thursday, a loud contingent of protesters gathered outside the courthouse before and after his arraignment.

Hearn exited the courthouse with his attorneys to cheers of "Davey! Davey!"

Melanie Davis was one of the protesters. She said she doesn't know Hearn personally, but was motivated to come out as she believes the Justice Department's case against him is wrong.

"I'm worried for the state of our judicial system. It just feels like it's been corrupted by the current administration," she said. "Any one of us could have been Davey Hearn. I mean, I could have easily walked past that reflecting pool, seen a bit of paint, decided to touch it. And I would have been in this courtroom today."

Superior Court Judge Carmen McLean released Hearn on his own recognizance. His next hearing is scheduled for Aug. 5.

Norm Eisen, one of Hearn's attorneys, spoke to reporters outside of court following the hearing. He said the administration is using Hearn as a "scapegoat … for their own failures."

"It is not a crime to touch the reflecting pool, to touch water in the United States of America," he said.

Prosecutors say there is a host of evidence against Hearn. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Reddington said there will be "a lot of discovery" in this case.