A grand jury in Washington, D.C., has charged former U.S. Olympic canoeist David Hearn with a felony for allegedly damaging the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.

華盛頓特區的大陪審團已起訴前美國奧運獨木舟選手 David Hearn，指控其涉嫌毀損林肯紀念館反思池，屬於重罪。

The legal case began after an incident on June 19. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro claims that Hearn intentionally damaged about two square feet of the pool's sealant. According to the prosecution, National Park Service staff saw the defendant forcefully removing the bottom liner. Furthermore, Pirro emphasized that Hearn was verbally aggressive toward a park employee who told him to stop. Consequently, Hearn faces a felony charge for destruction of property, which could lead to a maximum sentence of ten years in prison because the damage is estimated to be over $1,000.

這起法律案件始於 6 月 19 日的一起事件。美國檢察官 Jeanine Pirro 聲稱 Hearn 故意毀損了反思池約兩平方英尺的密封劑。根據檢方指稱，國家公園管理局的工作人員目擊被告強行撕除底部襯墊。此外，Pirro 強調 Hearn 對於要求他停止行為的公園員工採取言語攻擊。因此，Hearn 面臨毀損財產的重罪指控，由於損害金額估計超過 1,000 美元，最高可判處十年監禁。

On the other hand, Hearn maintains that he is innocent. He stated that he stopped at the monument during a 64-mile bike trip to look at the pool's coating and algae growth. He argues that he only touched a piece of the liner that was already loose and denies destroying anything. His lawyers, Norm Eisen and Mary Dohrmann, asserted that the charges are politically motivated. They suggest that the government is using this case to hide its own institutional failures.

另一方面，Hearn 主張自己是清白的。他表示在一次 64 英里的單車旅程中，他在紀念碑前停下，以觀察池底的塗層與藻類生長情況。他辯稱自己僅觸碰了一塊已經鬆脫的襯墊，否認毀損任何東西。他的律師 Norm Eisen 和 Mary Dohrmann 則斷言這些指控具有政治動機，認為政府利用此案來掩蓋其機構本身的失敗。

This trial happens while the pool's recent $14 million renovation is facing structural problems. Despite the new blue coating, the site has suffered from peeling sealant and algae. While President Donald Trump has blamed these issues on vandalism—pointing to several arrests by the U.S. Park Police—critics argue that the problem lies with the $1.7 million cleaning system bought from a donor's company. Additionally, National Park Service records show that other damage, such as a deep cut in the liner, was reported as early as June 9.

此次審判正值反思池近期耗資 1,400 萬美元的翻新工程面臨結構問題之際。儘管使用了新的藍色塗層，該地點仍飽受密封劑脫落與藻類滋生的困擾。雖然總統唐納德·川普將這些問題歸咎於惡意破壞，並指出美國公園警察已逮捕多人，但批評者認為問題在於從一名捐贈者的公司購買的 170 萬美元清潔系統。此外，國家公園管理局的記錄顯示，其他損壞（如襯墊上的深切口）早在 6 月 9 日就已獲報。

David Hearn remains charged with a felony while federal authorities continue to investigate other reports of vandalism at the site.

David Hearn 仍面臨重罪指控，而聯邦當局將繼續調查該地點其他關於惡意破壞的報告。