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Former Olympian denies vandalising Washington Reflecting Pool after arrest

Hacker News · Jun 21, 2026, 2:43 PM · Also reported by 4 other sources

Key takeaways

  • A former US Olympian arrested for allegedly vandalising the Reflecting Pool in Washington DC is denying he did anything wrong.
  • David "Davey" Hearn, 67, was detained by the pool's edge on Friday as he was finishing a long bike ride.
  • The champion canoeist is now facing a misdemeanour charge of destruction of government property.

Max Matza Getty Images. A former US Olympian arrested for allegedly vandalising the Reflecting Pool in Washington DC is denying he did anything wrong.

David "Davey" Hearn, 67, was detained by the pool's edge on Friday as he was finishing a long bike ride.

Hearn told BBC News that he had removed his cycling glove to simply touch a long strip of rubbery material which appeared to have "delaminated" from the bottom of the pool, when he was stopped by US Park Police and National Guard troops.

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