David Hearn case: Why did judge permanently dismiss ex-Olympian's reflecting pool case?

A Washington judge has permanently dismissed the criminal case against former Olympian David Hearn, who was accused of damaging the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. Hearn had been charged with felony destruction of government property for allegedly causing over $1,000 in damage to the sealant installed at the bottom of the pool during recent renovations.

According to CBS News, Hearn claimed he had stopped by the pool in July while on a 64-mile bike ride and was detained for five hours after reaching down into the pool. The US Attorney's Office in DC had asked the court to dismiss the charges in August, and the judge has now made the dismissal permanent.

The renovations to the pool were championed by President Trump, who launched an effort to address the pool's condition in April. The project included coating the stone flooring with a sealant, which Trump personally selected, calling it the "latest and greatest filament" and an "industrial-grade" variation of swimming pool liner, in "American Flag Blue". The government has admitted to a botched construction job.

Brief written by urgent.news from Hindustan Times - World News, Forbes, CBS News — 3 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.