Applaud Judge Dismissing The Reflecting Pool Vandalism Case

A D.C. Superior Court judge has permanently dismissed the case against former Olympic canoeist David “Davey” Hearn, preventing the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia from bringing the same case against him again.

Hearn had been accused of damaging the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. Prosecutors dropped the case in July after evidence showed that the area in question was already damaged and that they could not establish the amount of damage necessary for the felony charge. Hearn’s attorneys subsequently asked the court to dismiss the case with prejudice.

Even so, President Donald Trump’s publicly called for Hearn to be prosecuted again, including comments referencing Hearn’s political donations and the political activity of one of his attorneys.

Edelman concluded that Hearn faced the unusual prospect of prosecutors reviving a case they had already determined they could not substantiate because of political pressure from the president. The judge also noted that prosecutors could not identify what new evidence might make another prosecution viable.

Add your name to applaud Judge Edelman’s decision to permanently dismiss the case and for not folding into Trump's demands!