&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Trump administration drops Olympian's Reflecting Pool case, blames damage on botched installation")
The US Justice Department has dropped felony vandalism charges against former Olympic canoeist David Hearn after new evidence showed that damage to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was caused by a flawed installation process.
Hearn, 67, had faced a possible 10-year prison sentence after prosecutors accused him of damaging the newly renovated pool. Federal prosecutor Jeanine Pirro had announced the charges earlier this month, saying witnesses saw Hearn "forcefully and violently" pulling up the pool's new liner on June 19.
However, Pirro said in a court filing on Friday that new information had "undermined the evidentiary basis for the indictment" and asked the court to dismiss the case.
The filing said documents from the Department of the Interior showed that the damage "was the result of a botched installation and not vandalism as initially represented" by the department.
Trump blamed vandals
The decision came after President Donald Trump repeatedly blamed "deranged vandals" for damaging the newly renovated pool. Trump claimed that people entered the site at night and cut a large hole in the new lining using box cutters or other sharp tools.
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He also alleged that fertiliser was thrown into the pool, causing severe algae growth. Trump blamed the alleged vandalism for the pool's damage and water quality problems. He called those responsible "animals" and demanded the maximum prosecution and prison sentences.
The renovated pool soon developed algae blooms that turned the water green. Parts of the blue lining also began peeling away. Trump had faced criticism over the $14.7 million renovation and continued to blame vandals for the problems.
Contractor work under scrutiny
The Justice Department said documents from the Interior Department showed a rushed and flawed installation process. The documents said the lining repeatedly failed during installation and later began peeling across the Reflecting Pool.
Pirro and Spence wrote that "the information subsequently demanded by (U.S. Attorney's Office) and disclosed by DOI, which was not known to the prosecutors or the grand jury before the return of the indictment, strongly suggest that a rushed and botched installation by AIC, the primary contractor, led to the damage to the lining of the Reflecting Pool."
The pool renovation was among several "beautification" projects ordered by Trump ahead of the July 4 celebrations marking America's 250th anniversary.
Problems appeared soon after the pool was refilled. Algae returned, and parts of the new liner began peeling in several places.
Hearn, who competed in canoeing at three Olympic Summer Games, said he visited the refurbished pool after a long bike ride. He noticed part of the liner had come loose and reached into the water to check it. As he prepared to leave, US Park Police arrested him.
“I didn’t vandalise anything,” Hearn told The Washington Post last month. “I didn’t destroy or break or peel anything. By the time I realised what was going on, I was being put in handcuffs.”
