WASHINGTON (AP) — A former Olympian was indicted Thursday on a felony charge in what President Donald Trump has called vandalism of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, where a renovation project he launched has been riddled with problems.
David Hearn, a former Olympic canoe racer, was indicted on a single count of property destruction in Washington, D.C., court.
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FILE - American David Hearn, of Bethesda, Md., makes his way through the C1 slalom course, Sept. 17, 2000, at Whitewater Stadium in Penrith, Australia. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara, File)
People take photos of a mother duck and her ducklings at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool Tuesday, June 23, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jon Elswick)
The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is seen, Monday, June 29, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
Workers lay nets in the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool to catch debris from the Fourth of July fireworks display, Tuesday, June 30, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
Signage and security fencing warns of explosives along the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool ahead of July 4th events on the National Mall, Wednesday, July 1, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nathan Howard)
District of Columbia U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said Hearn ripped up recently installed sealant on the pool in “a deliberate act” that caused more than $1,000 in damage. She accused him of “forcefully and violently” pulling up the bottom liner “with both hands” and acting belligerently toward an employee who told him to stop.
“This is a case with tremendous evidence,” she said, adding that authorities have made about six other misdemeanor arrests.
In a statement, Democracy Defenders Fund co-founder Norm Eisen and Mary Dohrmann, senior counsel at Washington Litigation Group, said that they represented Hearn and that the charges were “outrageous and should be alarming to every American.” Eisen and Dohrmann construed the case as representative of “the misuse of government power against an ordinary citizen based on a concocted narrative.”
Hearn didn’t immediately return a phone call seeking comment. He previously told The Associated Press that he reached into the pool on June 19 to examine the newly peeled coating. He said he briefly touched a chunk that was still attached to the side of the pool, then let go shortly after a park worker told him to.
“I’m a curious citizen,” Hearn said in a telephone interview last month. “I reached down to see what it felt like. It was very rubbery.”
Hearn, 67, of Bethesda, Maryland, owned a company that made composite materials used to build watercraft.
Saying that he stopped by the pool during a 64-mile bike ride, Hearn said he was detained by National Guard troops and Park Police for five hours before being released.
Trump said last month that federal authorities made “multiple arrests” of people he accused of vandalizing the Reflecting Pool as he struggled to explain why the $16-million rehabilitation project he launched for the nation’s 250th anniversary seemingly backfired. Without providing any substantiation, he also said vandals dumped fertilizer into the pool and slashed the coating with a box cutter.
In subsequent days, National Guard members and U.S. Park Police patrolled the deck around the Reflecting Pool as Trump’s administration faced a self-imposed deadline to fix a botched renovation before the nation’s 250th anniversary celebration. Contractors and federal workers used chemicals and ozone nanobubbles to combat an algae bloom, and Trump has said that problems most likely require draining the pool again for liner repairs.
Kinnard reported from Columbia, S.C.
FILE - American David Hearn, of Bethesda, Md., makes his way through the C1 slalom course, Sept. 17, 2000, at Whitewater Stadium in Penrith, Australia. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara, File)
People take photos of a mother duck and her ducklings at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool Tuesday, June 23, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jon Elswick)
The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is seen, Monday, June 29, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
Workers lay nets in the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool to catch debris from the Fourth of July fireworks display, Tuesday, June 30, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
Signage and security fencing warns of explosives along the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool ahead of July 4th events on the National Mall, Wednesday, July 1, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nathan Howard)
LONDON (AP) — Amanda Anisimova served three of her 20 aces in the deciding tiebreaker to hold off Sofia Kenin 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (3) and reach the third round at Wimbledon on Thursday as Kate, the Princess of Wales, visited the All England Club.
Anisimova, who was consoled by Kate a year ago after being routed by Iga Swiatek in the final, trailed 3-1 in the third set before she broke back in the sixth game against her fellow American, the 2020 Australian Open champion who is now ranked No. 105.
“Some moments were really awful. I’m just so happy through to the next round,” Anisimova said on No. 2 Court.
“I never thought that I’d be saying this — but thank you to my serve today,” she added. “I’m not an amazing server. Now, I can finally say I can serve pretty good.”
The sixth-seeded Anisimova whacked her racket on her leg at one point in the deciding set.
“I was down 3-1 and I told myself to just keep fighting and this might be your last moments at Wimbledon ... just try and maybe have fun and enjoy it,” said Anisimova, who will next face 26th-seeded Madison Keys. “I try to remind myself, just have fun, you are playing at Wimbledon. I do get hard on myself sometimes.”
Swiatek, who beat Anisimova 6-0, 6-0 for the 2025 title on Centre Court, needed just 70 minutes to get past 2021 Wimbledon finalist Karolina Pliskova 6-1, 6-3.
The defending champion gets Filipino rising star Alexandra Eala, who rallied to beat Maya Joint 3-6, 6-2, 6-0, in the third round. On Tuesday, Joint spoiled Serena Williams' singles comeback.
Second-seeded Elena Rybakina, the 2022 champion at the All England Club, made quick work of Caty McNally 6-1, 6-2 and will face Belgium's Elise Mertens, seeded 25th, for a spot in the last 16.
A well-dressed Taylor Fritz impressed again, beating compatriot Patrick Kypson 6-2, 6-2, 7-5 to reach the third round.
Fritz's white blazer and NBA-style warmup pants for his walk-on at No. 2 Court drew attention but his play wasn't bad either — he fired 19 aces and avoided getting pushed into a fourth set.
The sixth-seeded American, a semifinalist last year, emphatically pumped his right fist when he broke Kypson to convert his fourth match point.
Fritz also won his opener in straight sets and had worn a similar outfit with tear-away warmup pants — designed to easily unbutton as you pull them off in one tug.
“I took it off slowly in the first round. I kind of actually made a mess of it,” Fritz said in his press conference. “It’s actually just a lot easier to just rip them off. I saw a video of Frances (Tiafoe) doing it. I was just trying to copy him today. ”
Later, an equally dapper Tiafoe showed how it's done — earning applause for quickly pulling off the bottoms before his match against Jan Choinksi. The 17th-seeded Tiafoe won 4-6, 6-2, 7-5, 6-2.
“I had a lot of momentum from the end of the third,” the American said in his on-court interview. “I just wanted to try to get an early break and take his soul a little bit, take his belief away, and that’s kind of what happened.”
Naomi Osaka's fashion statements have made her court walk-ons must-see viewing at Grand Slam tournaments — Wimbledon included.
Also Thursday, both second-seeded Alexander Zverev and fifth-seeded Alex de Minaur recorded straight-set victories.
Matteo Berrettini, who lost the 2021 Wimbledon final to Novak Djokovic, beat 20th-seeded Arthur Fils 6-4, 7-5, 3-6, 6-3 on Centre Court.
Berrettini will next face wild-card entry Grigor Dimitrov, who eliminated 15th-seeded Jakub Mensik 7-6 (5), 4-6, 7-5, 6-3. Last year, Dimitrov was leading his fourth-round match against eventual champion Jannik Sinner but stopped playing because of an injured pectoral muscle.
AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
Frances Tiafoe of the United States reacts after winning a point against Jan Choinski of Britain in their second round men's singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Thursday, July 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)
Alexandra Eala of the Philippines serves during the second round women's singles match against Maya Joint of Australia at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Thursday, July 2, 2026.(AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
Iga Swiatek of Poland celebrates winning the second round women's singles match against Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Thursday, July 2, 2026.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Alexander Zverev of Germany returns the ball to Valentin Royer of France in their second round men's singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Thursday, July 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Maja Smiejkowska)
Amanda Anisimova of the United States celebrates her victory against Sofia Kenin of the United States in their second round women's singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Thursday, July 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)
Taylor Fritz of the United States takes off his quick-release trousers as he arrives on court 1 to play against Dusan Lajovic of Serbia in their first round men's singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Tuesday, June 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Tennis supporters watch the men's singles match Alex de Minaur of Australia against Roman Andres Burruchaga of Argentina at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Tuesday, June 30, 2026.(AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
Alex de Minaur of Australia celebrates winning the second round men's singles match against Adrian Mannarino of France at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Thursday, July 2, 2026.(AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
Taylor Fritz of the United States returns the ball to Patrick Kypson of the United States in their second round men's singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Thursday, July 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)
Taylor Fritz of the United States returns the ball to Patrick Kypson of the United States in their second round men's singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Thursday, July 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)
