A federal judge in Washington, D.C., has formally dismissed the criminal case against David Hearn, a three-time Olympic canoeist, while simultaneously barring the Department of Justice from refiled the charges.
The legal proceedings stemmed from an incident on June 20, when Hearn was cited for allegedly damaging a new lining installed in the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. The structure had been put in place to permanently seal the iconic landmark ahead of planned festivities for the 250th anniversary of American independence.
Images from July 9 showed Hearn exiting the DC Superior Court as the case proceeded. The dismissal issued Thursday concludes the matter without prejudice to the government re-prosecuting, although the judge explicitly prohibited the DOJ from doing so in this instance.
Interesting how they timed the dismissal right before the 250th anniversary festivities. Coincidence? Probably not.
I can’t believe this made national news. Three-time Olympian gets a free pass for alleged property damage.
Barred from refiling? That is rare. Shows the judge found serious procedural flaws in the initial case.
Wait, did he actually damage the new lining or was this just a misunderstanding about the sealant materials?
Finally, a sensible ruling. The DOJ really overplayed their hand here with these vandalism charges.