WASHINGTON(National Times)- The US Justice Department on Friday dropped its case against a former Olympian accused of damaging the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, saying the hurried renovations ordered by President Donald Trump had been botched.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
David Hearn, 67, had been charged with felony vandalism in federal court, which carried a potential sentence of 10 years in jail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Federal prosecutor Jeanine Pirro had announced the charges in a high-profile press briefing earlier this month, saying witnesses had viewed Hearn \u201cforcefully and violently\u201d pulling up the pool\u2019s new liner on June 19.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But in a court filing on Friday, Pirro said new revelations \u201cundermine the evidentiary basis for the indictment,\u201d and moved for dismissal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She said that new documents indicate that the damage to the landmark \u201cwas the result of a botched installation and not vandalism as initially represented\u201d by the Interior Department.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Trump had personally overseen the renovation of the Reflecting Pool, including the addition of an \u201cAmerican flag blue\u201d liner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was one of several \u201cbeautification\u201d projects around the US capital that Trump had ordered ahead of the July 4 celebration of America\u2019s 250th anniversary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The painting and sealing project was estimated to cost at least $14 million.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But problems soon arose, with the coating peeling off and algae turning the pool\u2019s water a mucky green \u2014 setbacks Trump repeatedly blamed on vandals, without providing evidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hearn, who competed in three Olympic Summer Games in canoeing, told US media he visited the refurbished pool after a long bike ride and noticed a piece of partially detached liner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He reached into the water to see what it felt like, and as he prepared to leave, US Park Police arrested him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t vandalise anything,\u201d Hearn told The Washington Post last month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t destroy or break or peel anything. By the time I realised what was going on, I was being put in handcuffs.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His legal team had sought to have the case dismissed, arguing it represented a politicised justice system under Trump.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lawyers Norm Eisen, Mary Dohrmann and Steve Levin said in a statement Friday that the case \u201cshould never have been brought.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIts dismissal today does not erase the abuse of government power in arresting and charging a patriotic American who did nothing wrong,\u201d they said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe government\u2019s approach was ready, fire, aim. The administration owes Mr Hearn an apology.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Trump earlier threatened jail time for anyone seeking to damage one of his signature renovation projects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPlease remember that there is a 10 year prison sentence for the destruction, or even the attempted destruction, of such things \u2014 Which will be fully enforced!\u201d the president said in June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Law enforcement for the National Park Service told AFP in June that five people were arrested for vandalism and five others were issued federal citations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
WASHINGTON(National Times)- The US Justice Department on Friday dropped its case against a former Olympian accused of damaging the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, saying the hurried renovations ordered by President Donald Trump had been botched. David Hearn, 67, had been charged with felony vandalism in federal court, which carried a potential sentence of 10 years […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":130534,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-130533","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-international","entry"],"yoast_head":"\n