David Hearn, who represented America in three Summer Olympics, was arrested near Lincoln Memorial for allegedly damaging the Reflecting Pool.
During his 52-mile bike route around Hains Point, former Olympian David Hearn stopped to observe the newly renovated Reflecting Pool near the Lincoln Memorial.
Hearn, a former Olympic canoeist, noticed that a portion of the "American flag blue" liner had been lifted in the pool and reached down to see what it felt like. Moments later, the
Hearn told The Washington Post that he was detained for roughly five hours before being released. The 67-year-old Olympian vehemently denied vandalizing the Reflecting Pool.
"I'm a curious citizen," Hearn told the Associated Press. "I reached down to see what it felt like. It was very rubbery."
Hearn told BBC News on Saturday that he "didn't destroy, rip, tear, peel, or remove any part" of the paint.
"The condition of any part of the reflecting pool didn't change," he added. "It wasn't affected. It was the same before I got there as when I walked away from it."
Despite his claim of innocence, Hearn has been slapped with a court date.
The Trump administration has spent millions renovating the Reflecting Pool on the National Mall to make it "American flag blue" in time for the nation's 250th anniversary celebrations.
Built between 1920 and 1923, the Reflecting Pool has been a staple of the nation's capital for nearly a century.
In a statement on Truth Social Saturday night, Trump announced that multiple people have been arrested after suspects "took some form of knife or blade, and put a 250-foot-long gash into the beautiful facade of what took so much work, competence, and money to build and complete."
Trump also alleged that suspects "poured corrosive and destructive chemicals" into the manmade pool.
Hearn, who represented America in three Summer Olympics, is scheduled to appear in D.C. Superior Court on July 9.
