A former U.S. Olympian was arrested at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool after authorities accused him of damaging government property at the recently renovated Washington landmark.
U.S. Park Police arrested David Hearn, 67, of Bethesda, Maryland, on a misdemeanor charge of destruction of government property.
The arrest took place at the Reflecting Pool on the National Mall, where officials have been investigating reported damage to a newly installed blue coating.
According to a report cited by the New York Post, Hearn had been participating in a 52-mile bicycle ride before stopping near the pool.
Hearn told police he noticed a piece of blue liner material that appeared to be partially detached from the pool’s surface.
He said he reached into the water and touched the loose section after observing that it was flapping in the water.
According to Hearn, the material was already peeling but remained attached to the bottom of the pool when he examined it.
Hearn denied causing any damage and said he did not remove, destroy, break or peel any of the material.
Shortly after the interaction, officers placed him under arrest.
Court records indicate Hearn is scheduled to appear in D.C. Superior Court on July 9.
Hearn is a three-time Olympian who represented the U.S. in canoe slalom competition at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
His best Olympic finish came in Atlanta, where he placed ninth in the C1 canoe slalom event.
Beyond the Olympics, Hearn won two individual world championship gold medals in C1 slalom in 1985 and 1995.
He also earned multiple team medals at the International Canoe Federation Canoe Slalom World Championships and captured numerous U.S. national titles before retiring from elite competition, per Trending Politics.
The arrest comes as officials continue to address problems that emerged following a renovation project at the Reflecting Pool.
The project, completed earlier this month, reportedly cost more than $14 million and included draining the pool, repairing leaks and applying a new blue coating to the granite bottom.
Administration officials described the resurfacing material as “American flag blue” and said it was intended to improve the pool’s appearance while helping reduce recurring algae issues.
Within days of the pool being refilled, reports surfaced that portions of the coating had begun peeling.
Reports also noted that algae had returned to the water despite the extensive renovation work.
President Donald Trump has publicly attributed some of the problems to vandalism.
Trump has said video evidence exists showing individuals tampering with the new sealant and has referenced arrests made by Park Police during the investigation.
Authorities have linked Hearn’s arrest to broader inquiries into alleged interference with the newly installed coating.
The U.S. Park Police have not publicly announced additional charges connected to the wider vandalism allegations.
The reported damage follows several recent incidents on the National Mall.
Among them were markings displaying the numbers “86,47” on grass near the Washington Monument and a fuel spill tied to damaged equipment at a large event held on the Mall earlier this month.
