David Hearn, a former Olympic canoeist, was indicted by a Washington Supreme Court grand jury after he was arrested last month for climbing into a reflecting pool.
According to the indictment, Hearn is charged with destruction of property valued at more than $1,000. The maximum felony penalty is 10 years in prison if convicted.
The indictment states that a D.C. grand jury found that Hearn “maliciously damaged, broke and destroyed certain property, that is, the liner material of the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool.”
The lawyer representing Hearn said he was not yet aware of developments in the case because Hearn had previously received a reprimand, which was a lesser set of misdemeanor charges.
Hearn previously told CNN that police arrested him after he touched a piece of blue material that partially came loose from the bottom of the pool, which reopened last month after a multimillion-dollar renovation carried out by President Donald Trump.
Hearn said a National Park Service worker warned him to stay out of the water before park police handcuffed him. He denied vandalizing the pool and said he was just curious.
Late last month, Trump warned that those who he said “destroyed” the pool could face long prison sentences. Trump also said six people have been arrested and several others have been charged for the alleged vandalism of the pool. No one other than Hearn has been publicly named.
The pool renovation, scheduled to be completed ahead of this weekend’s Independence Day holiday, ran into problems with algae and peeling paint or sealant shortly after it reopened to the public last month.
The President also said that someone had made a long cut in the pool with some sharp instrument. The federal government has provided no evidence for these claims, and Trump’s estimate of the extent of damage to the pool has fluctuated widely.
This story is current and will be updated.