Former Olympian is arrested for allegedly vandalizing Reflecting Pool… but he claims he merely touched it

A three-time Olympian canoeist was arrested for allegedly vandalizing President Donald Trump’s shining new Reflecting Pool in Washington, DC, but the athlete has claimed he merely touched it.

David Hearn, 67, was arrested by Park Police officers on Friday for a misdemeanor charge of destruction of government property after he said he simply touched the liner of the Reflecting Pool at the Lincoln Memorial, The Washington Post reported. 

He told the outlet that he rode past the memorial on a 52-mile bike ride when he noticed the liner was detached, and reached down to feel it. 

‘I didn’t vandalize anything. I didn’t destroy or break or peel anything. By the time I realized what was going on, I was being put in handcuffs,’ Hearn said. 

The Reflecting Pool has been a sore spot for the Trump administration, as grand plans to make the water ‘American Blue’ were thwarted by a persistent green algae. 

The news of Hearn’s arrest was first shared by video footage posted by online journalist Emily Miller, which showed multiple officers crowding around the former Olympian in full cycling gear. 

Miller claimed that Hearn ‘grabbed the hose that female National Park Service workers were using to clear the algae.’ 

Workers have been spotted attempting to clear the algae almost every day since Trump unveiled the glistening new pool. 

Hearn’s interaction with the police and National Guard appeared cordial. He asked the officers what he was being held for and whether he was free to go. 

However, another clip revealed Hearn being handcuffed with his hands behind his back as several officers crowded around him. 

Video footage then circulated again on Saturday afternoon of another individual being arrested by Park Police outside the Reflecting Pool. 

Onlookers said authorities detained the individual and alleged he was ripping up the lining with his hands. 

Hearn told The Washington Post that he was detained for almost five hours at a Park Police facility and was released around 9pm. Authorities returned his bike, and he rode home from there. 

He is scheduled to appear in front of a DC Superior Court on July 9.  

Hearn is from Bethesda, Maryland, and graduated from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, according to his Olympian profile. 

He was an accomplished canoeist, competing in the sport competitively from the late 1970s to the early 2000s. 

Hearn’s first Olympics were in Barcelona in 1992, returning for the games in Atlanta four years later. He also competed in Sydney in 2000. 

He has won two gold medals and five silver medals. Hearn has also won six consecutive world championship medals. 

Canoeing runs in the family as his sister, Catherine, competed for the US and won a world championship title in 1979. 

Trump posted about the alleged vandalism on Truth Social on Friday evening, though he did not name Hearn. 

The President said that DC officials have had ‘some real problems with vandalism at the beautiful Reflecting Pool,’ referring to an incident earlier this week. 

‘It’s a shame that the Radical Left Lunatics, most likely Dumocats, who have spent their lives trying to ruin our Country, are free to do so,’ Trump wrote.

‘Law Enforcement is actively investigating this situation, and will hopefully have it resolved soon.’

The President also accused ‘lightweight ABC Reporter Jonathan Karl’ of sticking his hand in the pool and trying to rub the rubber off the surface. 

Karl reported for ABC News on Thursday that his team found the Reflecting Pool filled with gunk and green algae, adding that the paint job appeared to be falling apart. 

Trump claimed that the algae is 75 percent gone and that damage from vandalism would be repaired by early next week. 

The president praised his efforts to beautify DC, claiming that his administration has restored 45 monuments and memorials, 28 statues and 22 fountains. 

Earlier this month, the president announced on Truth Social that the $14 million restoration to the Reflecting Pool was complete, bragging that the renovation was ‘very complex, but powerful,’ adding that clean water had been added to the pool.

However, just weeks after the triumphant announcement, the water in the Reflecting Pool turned a stomach-churning lime green. 

On Tuesday, crews were seen dumping hydrogen peroxide into the water to curb algae growth. 

The Department of the Interior, which is overseeing the project, said in a statement to media outlets that ‘nanobubbler technology’ had been installed to address the buildup of algae. 

The Reflecting Pool has plagued previous administrations, as algae buildup has frequently prevented the water from properly reflecting the memorial as designed. 

The Daily Mail has reached out to the White House and for further comment.