Former U.S. Olympian David Hearn went for a bike ride near the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool and somehow ended up facing 10 years in prison.
His ordinary ride had been turned into a federal case when Hearn suddenly found himself at the center of a very public hunt for someone to blame.
Donald Trump blamed vandals for damage to the newly renovated pool, claiming several people ripped up the blue paint.
But Hearn ended up being the fall guy that prosecutors accused of doing it.
D.C. Superior Court Judge Todd Edelman dismissed the case against him with prejudice, permanently blocking prosecutors from bringing the same allegations again.
Edelman cited the unusual circumstances of the case and the possibility of a politically motivated prosecution.
According to ABC News, Edelman also addressed Trump’s involvement. He wrote that despite the lack of evidence of a crime, Trump’s public pressure created “a risk that Mr. Hearn will be prosecuted nonetheless.”
Hearn is now fighting back against what he calls an “abuse of power.”
“I’m relieved,” he told “Good Morning America.” “If it can happen to me, it can happen to anybody. Anybody in this country.”
For Hearn, the ruling was bigger than finally putting the criminal case behind him. He had gone from an Olympian taking a bike ride to a man facing a felony prosecution. All of it unfolded while Trump publicly pushed the narrative that someone had deliberately vandalized the pool.
Hearn said the experience showed how quickly an ordinary citizen could find himself in the government’s crosshairs. He warned that people could be “targeted and unfairly accused of something they didn’t do.”
“Nobody should feel they’re immune from this kind of abuse of power,” Hearn added.
The ordeal also left Hearn looking for something the judge could not give him: an apology. He said both Trump and U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro owe him one.
“Do you think the president should apologize to you?” he was asked.
“Yes. I do,” Hearn replied. Whether he expects to receive one is another matter.
“You know, if pigs fly, maybe,” Hearn added.
Facebook commenters were already encouraging him to keep going.
“File a suit! If nothing else, make them show all of those videos that they had,” one wrote.
“It’s STILL under repairs?,” one person asked, while another pointed out, “Going into the sixth month of a two week job to fix the reflecting pool.”
Someone else wrote, “Trump was fine with an innocent man going to prison as long as it protected his vanity.”
And one commenter found a fitting way to bring the Reflecting Pool back into the conversation: “The pond is now reflecting on trump’s incompetence.”
The controversy began June 19 when Hearn stopped at the Reflecting Pool during a bike ride.
Hearn said he saw a loose piece of blue coating that was still partially attached to the bottom. He reached into the water and handled it. He insisted he did not rip, remove, or damage anything. Police arrested him and held him for about five hours.
The encounter soon became far more serious. Prosecutors secured a felony indictment accusing Hearn of intentionally damaging government property. Pirro’s office alleged that he “forcefully and violently” ripped up part of the pool lining. Hearn pleaded not guilty. A conviction could have landed him in prison for up to 10 years.
Trump was already pushing his own explanation for the pool’s problems. He blamed vandals and claimed someone used a knife or blade to create a massive gash in the liner.
There was one rather inconvenient problem with that story. The pool was already falling apart.
Government records later showed that the installation had suffered repeated failures. Prosecutors eventually said documents obtained from the Interior Department pointed to a “rushed and flawed installation process” and “extensive peeling” throughout the Reflecting Pool.
The information was damaging enough that prosecutors reversed course.
On July 31, Pirro’s office moved to drop the felony case. Prosecutors acknowledged that the evidence strongly suggested a rushed and botched installation caused the liner damage.
They even said they would not have sought the grand jury indictment if the Interior Department had provided the information earlier.
Trump was not pleased as she criticized Pirro for dropping the case, saying she “folded like an umbrella.” He continued insisting that vandals were responsible.
A judge dismissed the charge in August, but one major question remained. The Justice Department had requested dismissal without prejudice, which would have allowed prosecutors to potentially bring the case again.
That possibility finally disappeared with Edelman’s October ruling.
Hearn may not be finished either. He and attorney Norm Eisen told reporters they are “actively” considering legal action against Trump or the administration because “nothing is off the table.”
Going into the six month of a two week job to fix the Reflecting Pool https://t.co/YziPLaEBCg
— Joe Flood (@joeflood) October 2, 2026
