00:00So, today a grand jury has returned a felony indictment against a defendant, David Hearn, for felony destruction of property
00:09for which he faces 10 years in prison.
00:12The indictment is in response to an incident that occurred on June 19th of 2026 in which the defendant Hearn
00:21ripped a piece of recently installed sealant on the bottom of the reflecting pool at the Lincoln Memorial.
00:30The evidence shows, and we will prove beyond a reasonable doubt, that Hearn willfully destroyed property at the Lincoln Memorial
00:39Reflecting Pool.
00:40This was a delivered act to damage the reflecting pool at the National Mall that members of the National Park
00:49Service actually have worked hard to restore and have witnessed.
00:54By Hearn's own admission, on June 19th, he reached down into the pool.
01:01Our evidence further shows that the National Park Service employees observed Hearn actually forcefully and violently pulling up and removing
01:14the bottom liner with both hands.
01:18According to witnesses, Hearn damaged approximately two square feet of sealant from the bottom of the pool.
01:26A Park Service employee actually told Hearn to stop, to stop his behavior and stop what he was doing.
01:37Hearn reacted by shouting at that Park Service employee, saying that she cared too much about the reflecting pool, and
01:48why did she even care, since it wasn't her pool?
01:53Now, Mr. Hearn's behavior was characterized by witnesses as belligerent, rude, and disrespectful, according to National Park Service employees that
02:06witnessed the event.
02:08Now, let me talk a moment about those employees.
02:11Many of those employees have come from around the country because they are proud of this nation.
02:18They are proud of the 250th anniversary that we are about to experience.
02:22Many of them have decided to step away from their desks and to go outside and actually work next to
02:31the pool to witness what was going on, as opposed to staying in a cool office.
02:38These are the witnesses that we're talking about in this case.
02:42These are the people who care about this particular monument and what is going on.
02:48They work long hours, and they are tireless in their efforts, and they must be shown respect and not be
02:58treated with belligerence and with disrespect by those who seek to damage the very monuments that they are there to
03:06protect.
03:07And they certainly should not have to witness the damage done right in front of their faces.
03:12The United States Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia remains committed to protecting our national resources, our monuments, and
03:21our parks from vandals, and we are especially committed to doing so in advance of our 250th anniversary.
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