Three-time U.S. Olympian David Hearn told ABC News that police arrested him on Friday after he touched a piece of blue coating that was partially detached from the bottom of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Hearn said he went on a bike ride on Friday afternoon and stopped by the Reflecting Pool as a \u201ccurious, concerned citizen\u201d. Given his background in materials science, Hearn says he was interested to see the situation for himself after reading about reports of algae in the water and paint peeling off.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI saw a piece of this loose end of this blue coating \u2026 I reached out and touched the end of that piece that was loose but still attached to the bottom,\u201d Hearn told ABC News. \u201cI was able to reach out and touch the edge of that that was still attached at the bottom and handled it a little bit.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Workers vacuum algae from the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool after recent renovations following a directive from President Donald Trump to paint it blue ahead of the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence, in Washington, D.C., June 21, 2026.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Aaron Schwartz\/Reuters<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Hearn, who represented the U.S. in canoeing, said he was able to feel and bend the coating a bit.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI did not remove, I did not damage, I did not rip, tear, break, destroy or harm any part of the Reflecting Pool,\u201d Hearn said.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe condition of that part and all other parts of the Reflecting Pool were in the same condition after I walked away as they were before I walked up to it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Hearn said as he was touching the material, a National Park Service employee told him to stop touching it. He said he then walked back to his bike where National Guardsmen told him that the Park Police wanted to talk to him.\u00a0<\/p>\n A 17-year-old is detained and cited for what police said was taking a piece of paint from the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool after recent renovations following a directive from U.S. President Donald Trump to paint it blue ahead of the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence, in Washington, D.C., June 21, 2026.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Aaron Schwartz\/Reuters<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \u201cI had no idea I was about to be arrested,\u201d Hearn said.\u00a0\u201cThey didn\u2019t say they were charging me, but they did start to handcuff me. They did not ever read me my rights. They did not allow me any phone calls for the ensuing five hours, and they did not detail the charges that were going to be leveled against me.\u201d<\/p>\n The National Park Service has not replied to a request\u00a0from ABC News about Hearn’s arrest or any others.<\/p>\n Hearn is set to appear in court on July 9.<\/p>\n Hearn said he was \u201cfully cooperative\u201d the whole time, did not resist and was held for five hours before being released Friday night.\u00a0<\/p>\n Asked whether he is worried about what will happen to him next, Hearn said: \u201cI am concerned. I\u2019m very wary of our current government; I\u2019m a single citizen being singled out in this way by my government. It\u2019s not fair, and it\u2019s not right.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"PHOTO:](\"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/6d6012f5-2a79-4cf8-ae11-2af5e6308a7e\/reflecting-pool-clean-20260621-rt-jh_1782074196534_hpMain.jpg?w=375 "\\"Aaron")
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