The US Justice Department moved on Friday, July 31, 2026, to dismiss a criminal case charging former Olympian David Hearn with deliberately damaging the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. Government lawyers stated in a 20-page court filing that information obtained since Hearn's indictment indicated the damage resulted from a “flawed installation by the contractor” and the accelerated timeline to finish the project before events tied to the America 250 celebration around Independence Day 2026.

US Attorney Jeanine Pirro's filing noted, “Given all of this newly discovered information, it is difficult to attribute the widespread damage to the Reflecting Pool to vandalism, let alone to establish that fact beyond a reasonable doubt.”

Hearn, who pleaded not guilty earlier in July to one felony count of property destruction, had a trial scheduled to begin on September 28, 2026, at DC Superior Court. His lawyers criticized the case, stating it should never have been brought and called for an apology from the administration, saying, “Its dismissal today does not erase the abuse of government power in arresting and charging a patriotic American who did nothing wrong.”

Sources