Olympian Denies Vandalizing Pool; Trump Vows Repairs
Three-time U.S. Olympic canoeist David “Davey” Hearn, 67, was arrested Friday at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington, D.C., and charged with misdemeanor destruction of government property — an allegation he vigorously denies. President Donald Trump has responded by vowing immediate repairs and calling for jail time for those responsible, as the incident becomes a flashpoint in the ongoing controversy surrounding the landmark’s troubled $14.8 million renovation.
The Arrest
Hearn, a Bethesda, Maryland, resident who competed in the 1992, 1996, and 2000 Summer Olympics, was finishing a 52-mile bike ride when he stopped at the Reflecting Pool. According to Fox News, he noticed what appeared to be delaminated pool lining and reached into the water to touch it. Moments later, National Guard troops and U.S. Park Police detained him.
“I’m a curious citizen,” Hearn told the Associated Press. “I reached down to see what it felt like. It was very rubbery.”
Journalist Emily Miller filmed the arrest and posted the video on X, where it went viral. Miller accused Hearn of grabbing a hose from female National Park Service workers, though Hearn denied this, telling The Washington Post his bike tire “may” have bumped it.
“I didn’t vandalize anything,” Hearn told the Post. “By the time I realized what was going on, I was being put in handcuffs.”
Hearn’s Defense
In a direct interview with BBC News, Hearn insisted he did not damage the pool. “I didn’t destroy, rip, tear, peel, or remove any part of it,” he said. “The condition of any part of the reflecting pool didn’t change. It wasn’t affected. It was the same before I got there as when I walked away from it.”
Hearn called his arrest an “arbitrary, capricious prosecution” and said he was held in jail for about five hours without being allowed to make a phone call. “It’s pretty clear that somebody high up decided to make an example of me,” he told the BBC.
He has a court date scheduled for July 2026.
Trump’s Response
President Trump posted multiple messages on Truth Social on Saturday, alleging that vandals “took some form of knife or blade, and put a 250-foot-long gash into the beautiful facade” and “poured corrosive and destructive chemicals” into the basin. As Fox News reported, Trump vowed: “Years in jail! Work will begin immediately on its repair.”
Trump said contractors inspected the pool Saturday and will likely need to drain “much of the water” to complete repairs. The president also claimed “many additional people” have been arrested, with journalist Emily Miller reporting seven detained Friday and five on Saturday in separate incidents.
The BBC noted that Trump’s claims of a 250-foot gash and chemical damage were made “without evidence.” No independent reporting has confirmed the extent of the alleged vandalism.
A Troubled Renovation
The Reflecting Pool, stretching 2,030 feet between the Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument, had just undergone a $14.8 million renovation under a no-bid contract awarded by the Trump administration. The president personally selected an “American Flag Blue” paint color for the pool’s bottom, touting the project as part of his beautification push ahead of America’s 250th birthday celebrations.
However, within weeks of completion, the pool was plagued by algae blooms that turned the water green and peeling paint — problems that have been widely documented in national media. Trump claimed on Friday that “the algae is 75% gone, and the condition will soon be completely remedied.”
A History with Park Police
This is not Hearn’s first encounter with U.S. Park Police. In 1996, he was arrested for canoeing on the flood-swollen Potomac River after authorities issued an emergency closure order. A federal judge dismissed the charges, ruling that the Potomac is under Maryland jurisdiction, not federal — meaning the Park Police had no authority over the water.
What’s Next
The case raises unresolved questions about the actual extent of damage to the Reflecting Pool and whether the peeling paint and delamination are the result of vandalism or poor workmanship. With Hearn’s court date approaching and Trump demanding swift justice, the intersection of a national monument maintenance controversy, a political flashpoint, and an Olympian’s curious encounter with law enforcement continues to unfold.