Former Olympian Arrested After Reaching Into Reflecting Pool

A 67-year-old cyclist who said he stopped to inspect a peeling patch in the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool's new blue lining ended his ride in handcuffs. David Hearn, a three-time Olympic canoeist, was arrested Friday by US Park Police on a misdemeanor destruction-of-government-property charge after reaching into the recently renovated pool, which has been plagued by algae and sections of liner coming loose, the Washington Post reports. The same day, President Trump blamed the pool's problems on vandalism. Hearn is due in DC Superior Court on July 9.

Officers told Hearn he had vandalized the pool and grabbed a hose used by workers to clear algae, video appears to show. Hearn denied touching the hose and said he only briefly handled an already-loose flap of liner. "I didn't vandalize anything," he told the Post on Saturday. Hearn said he spent nearly five hours in custody before being released and biking home. Hearn competed in the canoe slalom and won two world championships in whitewater racing. He retired from competition in 2002.