David Hearn, a former US Olympic canoeist, pleaded not guilty on Thursday to a felony charge of destruction of property at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, as the legal and political consequences of the renovation’s technical and financial problems continue to unfold. Hearn, 67, was indicted by a Washington, D.C. grand jury last week and faces up to ten years in prison if convicted. A judge released him on his own recognizance and set a status hearing for 5 August.

The US Attorney’s office, led by Jeanine Pirro, alleges that Hearn “forcefully and violently” tore the pool’s newly applied lining, causing at least $1,000 in damage. Pirro described his behaviour as belligerent and stated that a parks employee ordered him to stop. The White House has attributed the pool’s rapid deterioration — including algae blooms and peeling “American flag blue” paint — to vandalism, with President Donald Trump claiming without evidence that individuals poured chemicals into the water and cut a slit over 300 feet long in the lining. At least six people face criminal proceedings in connection with the alleged damage.

Hearn’s defence team calls the charges an “outrageous” misuse of government power, arguing the administration is seeking to deflect responsibility for the project’s cost overruns and technical failures. The renovation, which Trump announced in late April with an estimated cost of under $2 million, was completed in early June at a final price of $14.7 million. Within days, algae appeared and paint began to peel. The Interior Department deployed hydrogen peroxide and nanobubble technology, but the problems persisted, and several dead ducks were found. Wayne Carmichael, a biology professor at Wright State University, told PBS News it was “absolutely impossible” for anyone to have inoculated the pool and produced an effect within hours. Separately, the Cultural Landscape Foundation has filed a federal lawsuit seeking to halt the resurfacing, alleging violations of the National Historic Preservation Act and the National Environmental Policy Act. The Justice Department maintains that a full environmental review was unnecessary because the work constituted routine maintenance.

The pool controversy forms part of a wider pattern of setbacks around the US 250th anniversary celebrations, which congressional Democrats say have been marked by mismanagement. A report released by Democratic lawmakers on Thursday accuses White House-linked consultants of diverting donor information from the bipartisan America250 committee to the president’s own Freedom 250 task force. Meanwhile, the Reflecting Pool was drained for a second time over the 4 July weekend. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum confirmed that the same Ohio-based contractor, Green Water Solutions, would carry out the upcoming repairs, despite questions over no-bid contracts awarded to firms with reported ties to Trump. Hearn’s next court appearance is scheduled for 5 August, while the federal lawsuit and congressional inquiries continue to advance.