OLYMPIC CANOEIST INDICTED OVER LINCOLN MEMORIAL POOL DAMAGE

David Hearn, a two-time whitewater racing world champion who competed in canoe slalom at three Olympic Games, has been indicted on a felony charge of destruction of property. The indictment followed his arrest for reaching into the recently renovated Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington and removing a section of blue liner. Hearn was charged in D.C. Superior Court on Thursday according to court records. He faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted and is accused of causing $1,000 in damage to the pool.

Hearn has denied vandalising the monument, stating the pool's lining was already damaged when he visited the landmark. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro announced the charge and said Hearn "forcefully and violently" pulled the pool's lining in a "deliberate act" to damage the monument. When asked whether the lining was pre-existing damage, Pirro declined to detail the evidence, stating only that witnesses saw what occurred and the prosecution could prove beyond reasonable doubt that Hearn caused damage. The pool has experienced algae blooms with the recently applied blue sealant peeling from the basin.

The indictment represents the first felony charge brought following the Trump administration's stated pledge to target alleged vandals. Pirro indicated approximately half a dozen other cases involving alleged vandalism at the monument are under investigation. Hearn, 67, told The Washington Post after his arrest that he "didn't vandalize anything" and "didn't destroy or break or peel anything."