Davey Hearn: Former Olympian denies vandalising Washington Reflecting Pool after arrest

Davey Hearn’s case centers on allegations tied to the Washington Reflecting Pool after the former US Olympian was arrested in Washington, DC, and says he did no vandalism. The 67-year-old David “Davey” Hearn was detained on Friday near the pool as he finished a long bike ride. He told BBC News he removed his cycling glove only to touch a rubbery strip that seemed to have “delaminated” from the pool’s bottom, when he was stopped by US Park Police and National Guard troops. Hearn faces a misdemeanour charge of destroying government property. The Reflecting Pool had just undergone a roughly $13m (£9.8m) resealing and painting project, yet media and visitors reported new blue paint peeling off. Hearn denies “rip, tear, peel, or remove” any paint, calling the prosecution “arbitrary” while Trump posted that multiple people were arrested and that repairs would begin immediately.