67岁的前奥运选手大卫·赫恩因被控故意毁坏林肯纪念堂倒影池而面临重罪指控，最高刑期可达10年监禁[1]。赫恩的律师指出大陪审团诉讼程序存在"不规范"之处，质疑检控方是否拥有足以支持至少1000美元损害赔偿金的充分证据[1]。赫恩已于本月早些时候提出无罪抗辩，审判定于9月28日在华盛顿特区高等法院开始[1]。
根据国家公园管理局官员的证词，该倒影池在赫恩接触前已存在严重的基础性损坏，包括每周泄漏超过100万加仑水、扩展接缝超期服役和衬里撕裂等问题[1]。赫恩来自马里兰州贝塞斯达，曾参加过三届奥运会，在1996年亚特兰大奥运会获得第九名[1]。他声称自己于6月19日骑自行车经过公园时被国民警卫队和美国公园警察扣留5小时[1]。赫恩及其支持者将此案描述为特朗普政府为转移责任而进行的政治迫害[1]。
David Hearn, a former Olympian, has been charged with willfully damaging the Reflecting Pool at the Lincoln Memorial and faces up to 10 years in prison [1]. The charges involve alleged damage valued at least $1,000, and Hearn entered a not guilty plea earlier this month, with trial proceedings scheduled to begin on September 28 at the D.C. Superior Court in Washington, D.C. [1].
Hearn's legal team has raised concerns about "irregularities" in the grand jury proceedings and questioned whether prosecutors presented sufficient evidence to support the minimum $1,000 damage threshold [1]. According to testimony from National Park Service officials, the pool was experiencing significant pre-existing deterioration before Hearn's involvement, including weekly water leaks exceeding one million gallons and problems with extended seam overruns and liner tears [1]. Hearn claims he was detained for five hours by the National Guard and U.S. Park Police on June 19 while cycling through the park [1].
Hearn, 67, is from Bethesda, Maryland, and competed in three Olympic Games, finishing ninth in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics [1]. His supporters characterize the prosecution as politically motivated, alleging it represents an effort by the Trump administration to shift responsibility for the pool's deteriorating condition [1].