Former Olympian denies vandalising Washington Reflecting Pool after arrest

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.

The champion canoeist is now facing a misdemeanour charge of destruction of government property.

The Reflecting Pool has just undergone a multi-million dollar resealing and painting project, but already the paint appears to be peeling off.

President Donald Trump has championed the pool's makeover as part of his bid to beautify the US capital ahead of America's 250th birthday celebrations.

The historic Reflecting Pool, stretching 2,030ft (619m) between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument, has long been beset by leaks, structural deterioration, faulty pipes, algae growth and bird droppings.

But despite the refurbishment, which cost an estimated $13m (£9.8m), the pool has continued to be plagued by algae and more recently the paint problems, which have seen media and park visitors document pieces of the new blue paint peeling off from the bottom of the pool.

Trump said in a post on Truth Social on Saturday that US Park Police had "arrested multiple individuals for vandalizing our Nations magnificent Reflecting Pool".

"Who would do such a thing? These are very serious crimes having to do with the destruction of National Monuments," he continued, adding that "work will begin immediately on its repair".

He also shared an article about Hearn's arrest.

US Park Police did not reply to request for comment.

Hearn told BBC News on Saturday that he "didn't destroy, rip, tear, peel, or remove any part" of the paint.

"The condition of any part of the reflecting pool didn't change," he insisted.

"It wasn't affected. It was the same before I got there as when I walked away from it."

He called his arrest an "arbitrary, capricious prosecution".

A video posted to social media of Hearn's arrest shows him standing near a water-pumping hose that is lying across a footpath and speaking to a woman, before walking away and picking up his bike.

He is then approached by two National Guard troops, and the video shows that he was later placed in handcuffs, with US Park Police also standing around.

The post includes a suggestion that he had grabbed the hose from one of the park workers, though Hearn denied this when speaking with the Washington Post and said it was possible that his bike tyre had moved it.

Hearn competed three times in the Olympics in the slalom canoe category, and won two world championships for the sport.

He has also designed boats, paddles and other waterproof products, and said he was curious about what materials had been used to paint the pool.

The 67-year-old said he only touched the material briefly before he was told by one of the park service workers helping to clean the algae from the pool to stop.

He said he had seen a national news presenter also touch the material in a report on the pool problems, adding: "I don't really feel like I did anything wrong."

Hearn said he was placed in handcuffs and detained for about five hours in jail, and was not allowed to make a phone call.

"It's pretty clear that somebody high up decided to make an example of me," Hearn continued.

He said that even with the problems, the Reflecting Pool was "really pretty" regardless of the colour of the water. "It's the reflective surface that gives it its most important quality, especially when it's not windy."

Watch: "It's dirty" - Americans react to algae in newly renovated Reflecting Pool

The state of the Reflecting Pool has made headlines repeatedly in recent weeks, as the Trump administration awarded no-bid contracts to vendors for the project.

The president promised a "beautiful, beautiful reflecting pool" that would "stay clean", and he selected the "American Flag Blue" paint colour himself.

He said on Friday that the "algae is 75% gone, and the condition will soon be completely remedied".

In later posts on Saturday night, Trump claimed, without evidence, that vandals had "poured corrosive and destructive chemicals into the Pool" and that damage to the lawn was done with "some form of knife or blade".

He also said that contractors had inspected the pool on Saturday, and that they "will probably be forced to release and drain much of the water in order to do the necessary repairs, but will have them done as quickly as possible".

Why has the renovated Reflecting Pool turned green?

Trump touts 'American Flag Blue' paint job on Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool