SerpApi.Org
Donald Trump’s Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool has left a public record on three-time Olympian David Hearn. A renovation project initiated by Trump became a federal case for Hearn. Authorities arrested him last month for allegedly damaging the renovated pool.
According to Atlanta Black Star, the government awarded an estimated $14 million to $16 million in a no-bid contract at the president’s request. The work focused on renovation around the National Mall. The 47 blamed vandals after the “American flag blue” paint he ordered began to surface. It became a legal matter when Hearn and others were arrested for destroying the property. It happened because, on June 19, Hearn rode his bicycle to the Lincoln Memorial and touched a piece of detached coating.
Fencing went up around the reflecting pool shortly after this. Meanwhile, Hearn told NBC News, “I didn’t remove, tear, rip, break or destroy any of it. The condition of the Reflecting Pool was the same after I stepped away from the water as it was before I got there.” Hearn’s attorney also accused the Trump administration of targeting innocent people and claimed that they are using the criminal justice system as a form of distraction.
Hearn pleaded not guilty to his single charge and is demanding that the case be dismissed entirely. Hearn’s lawyers argued that the government failed to preserve key evidence from the reflecting pool as it was drained for repair work. The search warrant photos show identical damages to the pool before and after Hearn allegedly disrupted the property.
Hearn is insisting on a dismissal of the case on this basis. His lawyers have argued that they cannot collect evidence because “Interior Department’s second draining damaged the alleged crime scene.“ On July 8, Hearn’s lawyers sent a letter to prosecutors demanding the preservation of all physical evidence. However, they still went ahead with the draining process.
A court document states, “The government’s failure to preserve this evidence, in the face of an express demand no less, has destroyed Mr. Hearn’s ability to collect evidence material to his defense.“ DC Superior Court Judge Todd Edelman oversaw a hearing on July 20 before the trial on September 28. He warned that the federal prosecutors have repaired the pool at their “own peril.”
However, despite the warning, the judge has ruled against Hearn’s motion to dismiss without prejudice. This has given Hearn scope to refile the case if and when they find evidence that the feds have destroyed evidence. As such, the defense is going to bring in an expert to examine the pool and the area around it.
Meanwhile, the fencing is still up around the area, suggesting that the repair work is in progress. The blue paint coat detaching came weeks after a “Nano Bubble“ water purification system was installed in the pool. Within days of the system being installed, the blue coating started peeling off. Additionally, large algae blooms turned the clear water into a murky green hue.
