(AFP) – A former US Olympian accused of vandalizing Washington’s newly renovated Reflecting Pool was charged on Thursday with a felony and could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted, a federal prosecutor said. The renovation of the pool next to the US capital’s Lincoln Memorial is a pet project of President Donald Trump, but has been dogged by the growth of algae and peeling paint as the nation gears up for the 250th anniversary of independence.
Jeanine Pirro, the US attorney for Washington, announced the indictment of David Hearn, who has denied claims of vandalism and whose case has deepened concerns over the politicization of the justice system under Trump. Hearn, 67, is one of about a half-dozen people arrested for allegedly tampering with the pool, whose troubled, costly overhaul has become a political flashpoint in Washington.
“Today a grand jury has returned a felony indictment against a defendant, David Hearn, for felony destruction of property, for which he faces 10 years in prison,” Pirro, a former Fox News host, told a media briefing. She said National Park Service employees on June 19 observed Hearn “forcefully and violently” pulling up and removing approximately two square feet of sealant from the bottom of the pool and causing more than $1,000 of damage.
Pirro vowed to hold to account anyone who damages national monuments and said her office is reviewing about a half-dozen other cases which will be misdemeanors or violations. The vow of tough action is likely to deepen concerns about the neutrality of the US Justice Department under Trump, who had earlier threatened jail time for anyone seeking to damage one of his signature renovation projects.
Hearn has told US media he visited the refurbished pool after a bike ride and noticed a piece of partially detached “American blue” paint liner. He reached into the water to see what it felt like, and as he prepared to leave, US Park Police arrested him.
“I didn’t vandalize anything,” Hearn told the Washington Post last month. “I didn’t destroy or break or peel anything. By the time I realized what was going on, I was being put in handcuffs.”
The Reflecting Pool is one of several beautification projects in Washington championed by Trump, and the painting and sealing project was estimated to cost at least $14 million. Soon after completion of the work, the coating began to peel off and algae turned the pool’s water a mucky green — setbacks the president has blamed on vandals, without providing evidence.
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