Federal prosecutors move to dismiss an indictment charging former Olympic canoeist David Hearn with damaging the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. CBS News and The New York Times report that prosecutors cite “botched” or “flawed” installation as the cause of the damage, arguing it reflects a construction problem rather than vandalism. Newsweek similarly says the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, Jeanine Pirro, is seeking dismissal of the felony destruction-of-property charge and attributes the damage to flawed installation by the contractor.
The case comes amid political attention surrounding damage to the Reflecting Pool. The New York Times notes that President Trump had repeatedly accused vandals of damaging the pool. Prosecutors’ latest filing indicates they are revising the explanation for the damage and do not pursue the claim that Hearn’s actions caused it.
All three outlets describe the same procedural development: prosecutors ask the court to drop the charges, presenting installation defects as the underlying cause.
