Trump Administration Dismisses Case Against Former Olympic Canoeist Over Reflecting Pool Damage

The Trump administration has dismissed its case against David "Davey" Hearn, a former Olympic canoeist, who was charged with damage to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. In a filing on July 31, 2026, a supervisor in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia stated that new information undermined the evidentiary basis for the indictment against Hearn. The Interior Department provided documents indicating that the damage was due to flawed installation by the contractor, Atlantic Industrial Coatings, rather than vandalism. The Justice Department noted that it was challenging to attribute the damage to vandalism beyond a reasonable doubt. Hearn, who pleaded not guilty to charges of destruction of property, stated that the pool's condition remained unchanged after he interacted with it. His attorney criticized the government's actions, stating that the case should not have been pursued and called for an apology.