{"id":30675,"date":"2026-08-07T04:50:23","date_gmt":"2026-08-06T23:50:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=30675"},"modified":"2026-08-07T04:50:23","modified_gmt":"2026-08-06T23:50:23","slug":"judge-dismisses-reflecting-pool-vandalism-case-against-former-olympian-david-hearn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=30675","title":{"rendered":"Judge dismisses Reflecting Pool vandalism case against former Olympian David Hearn"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div xmlns:default=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" data-testid=\"prism-article-body\">\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao MvWXB TjIXL aGjvy ebVHC \">A federal judge has dismissed the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool <a class=\"zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE \" data-testid=\"prism-linkbase\" href=\"https:\/\/abcnews.com\/Politics\/olympian-david-hearn-indicted-alleged-vandalism-reflecting-pool\/story?id=134420251\" dir=\"ltr\">vandalism criminal case<\/a> against former Olympian David Hearn, according to an order filed on Thursday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">In his order granting in part the Department of Justice&#8217;s <a class=\"zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE \" data-testid=\"prism-linkbase\" href=\"https:\/\/abcnews.com\/Politics\/doj-moves-dismiss-reflecting-pool-case-olympian-citing\/story?id=135274977\" dir=\"ltr\">request to dismiss the case<\/a>, Associate Judge Todd Edelman said he would wait to determine whether to grant the dismissal with prejudice &#8212; effectively blocking the government from trying to charge Hearn again for the same alleged crime in the future &#8212; after hearing more arguments from the government and Hearn&#8217;s attorneys.<!-- -->\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Edelman has set forth a filing schedule for both parties and said he would schedule a hearing for oral argument at some point when all submissions are made.<!-- -->\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"oLzSq QrHMO fnRUo pvsTF EhJPu vPlOC zNYgW OsTsW RMeqy daRVX ISNQ sKyCY eRftA acPPc MENS nFwaT MCnQE mEeeY SmBjI xegrY rPLsU iulOd NIuqO zzscu lzDCc aHUBM IEgzD OjMNy eQqcx SVqKB GQmdz jaoD VWDdR ONJdw vrZxD OnRTz gbbfF roDbV GPGwb oMlSS gfNzt oJhud eXZcf zhVlX \">\n<div>\n<div class=\"InlineImage GpQCA lZur asrEW \" data-testid=\"prism-inline-image\">\n<figure class=\"kzIjN GNmeK pYrtp dSqFO \" data-testid=\"prism-figure\">\n<div class=\"GpQCA lZur \" style=\"padding-bottom:66.65380162099575%\" data-testid=\"prism-ratio-frame\">\n<div class=\"FvQLF iLTd NqeUA UzzHi iWsMV \"><picture data-testid=\"prism-picture\"><source media=\"(max-width: 414px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/5a2fbd3d-d89c-460a-ad09-2e3aec1248fb\/David-Hearn-4-rt-gmh-260709_1783609937357_hpMain.jpg?w=375, https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/5a2fbd3d-d89c-460a-ad09-2e3aec1248fb\/David-Hearn-4-rt-gmh-260709_1783609937357_hpMain.jpg?w=750 2x\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 415px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/5a2fbd3d-d89c-460a-ad09-2e3aec1248fb\/David-Hearn-4-rt-gmh-260709_1783609937357_hpMain.jpg?w=750, https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/5a2fbd3d-d89c-460a-ad09-2e3aec1248fb\/David-Hearn-4-rt-gmh-260709_1783609937357_hpMain.jpg?w=1500 2x\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"PHOTO: Former U.S. Olympic canoeist David Hearn stands with his lawyer as they speak to reporters following Hearn's arraignment on a felony destruction of property charge at DC Superior Court in Washington, July 9, 2026.\" class=\"hsDdd NDJZt sJeUN IJwXl vBqtr KrDt itslR SjwtZ hakZw HlUVI \" data-testid=\"prism-image\" draggable=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/5a2fbd3d-d89c-460a-ad09-2e3aec1248fb\/David-Hearn-4-rt-gmh-260709_1783609937357_hpMain.jpg\"\/><\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption>\n<div class=\"nMMea bNYiy Mjgpa dGwha DDmxa jgKNG RGHCC aBIU PriDW aiQHS lZur \" data-testid=\"prism-caption\">\n<p><span class=\"hsDdd OOSI GpQCA lZur VlFaz \" data-testid=\"prism-truncate\"><span><span class=\"gtOSm FbbUW tUtYa vOCwz EQwFq yCufu eEak Qmvg nyTIa SRXVc vzLa jgBfc WXDas CiUCW kqbG zrdEG txGfn ygKVe BbezD UOtxr CVfpq xijV soGRS XgdC sEIlf daWqJ \">Former U.S. Olympic canoeist David Hearn stands with his lawyer as they speak to reporters following Hearn&#8217;s arraignment on a felony destruction of property charge related to vandalizing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, at DC Superior Court in Washington, July 9, 2026.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"gtOSm FbbUW tUtYa vOCwz EQwFq yCufu eEak Qmvg nyTIa SRXVc vzLa jgBfc WXDas CiUCW kqbG zrdEG txGfn ygKVe BbezD UOtxr CVfpq xijV soGRS XgdC sEIlf daWqJ YNujN JGtjI aZFDu rkKLh \">Elizabeth Frantz\/Reuters<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">The Justice Department moved last week to dismiss the<!-- -->\u00a0<a class=\"zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE \" data-testid=\"prism-linkbase\" href=\"https:\/\/abcnews.com\/Politics\/olympian-david-hearn-indicted-alleged-vandalism-reflecting-pool\/story?id=134420251\" target=\"_blank\" dir=\"ltr\">criminal case<\/a>\u00a0<!-- -->against Hearn, acknowledging the damage to the pool &#8220;was the result of flawed installation by the contractor.&#8221; U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro&#8217;s motion sought to dismiss the case without prejudice, which could still leave Hearn exposed to a future indictment.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Attorneys for Hearn <a class=\"zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE \" data-testid=\"prism-linkbase\" href=\"https:\/\/abcnews.com\/US\/former-olympian-david-hearns-attorneys-reflecting-pool-vandalism\/story?id=135378083\" dir=\"ltr\">filed a motion<\/a> this week seeking to have the indictment against him dismissed with prejudice, citing &#8220;exceptional facts and circumstances.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">&#8220;Defying both decency and common sense, the government proceeded to indict Mr. Hearn before it had obtained or evaluated the information necessary to establish a good-faith basis for the charge,&#8221; the filing stated.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">&#8220;The Court should not leave the defendant subject to the possibility of renewed prosecution,&#8221; the filing stated.<!-- -->\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Hearn, a former U.S. Olympic canoeist, pleaded not guilty to a felony destruction of property<!-- -->\u00a0<a class=\"zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE \" data-testid=\"prism-linkbase\" href=\"https:\/\/abcnews.com\/Politics\/olympian-david-hearn-indicted-alleged-vandalism-reflecting-pool\/story?id=134420251\" dir=\"ltr\">charge<\/a>\u00a0<!-- -->last month after Pirro&#8217;s office accused him of &#8220;forcefully and violently&#8221; ripping up parts of the pool floor.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Pirro&#8217;s office said in its filing seeking to drop the case that it only learned of evidence pointing to &#8220;a rushed and flawed installation process&#8221; after Hearn had been indicted by a grand jury.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">President Donald Trump this week <a class=\"zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE \" data-testid=\"prism-linkbase\" href=\"https:\/\/abcnews.com\/Politics\/pirro-meets-trump-white-house-amid-questions-future\/story?id=135337199\" dir=\"ltr\">blasted<\/a> Pirro&#8217;s move to drop the case, saying she &#8220;choked&#8221; and &#8220;folded like an umbrella,&#8221; and continued to push allegations that vandals were responsible for cutting and tearing the pool lining.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A federal judge has dismissed the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool vandalism criminal case against former Olympian David Hearn, according to an order filed on Thursday. In his order granting in part the Department of Justice&#8217;s request to dismiss the case, Associate Judge Todd Edelman said he would wait to determine whether to grant the dismissal&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":30676,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/5a2fbd3d-d89c-460a-ad09-2e3aec1248fb\/David-Hearn-4-rt-gmh-260709_1783609937357_hpMain_16x9.jpg?w=1600","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30675","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-abc-news"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30675","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=30675"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30675\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/30676"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=30675"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=30675"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=30675"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}