Former Olympic Athlete Charged in Reflecting Pool Incident
A federal grand jury has indicted former Olympian David Hahn following an incident at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington, D.C., last month. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro made the announcement regarding the charges on Thursday.
The 67-year-old Hahn, a former U.S. Olympic canoeist, pleaded not guilty to allegations of intentionally causing damage to the recently renovated reflecting pool. He entered his plea through one of his lawyers during an initial court appearance in D.C.
During the proceedings, Judge Carmen McLean determined that court supervision would not be required for Hahn while he awaits trial. A status hearing is set for August 5.
Hahn faces felony charges for criminal damage linked to an incident on June 19. He insists he did not damage the pool, claiming he merely stopped on his bike out of curiosity when he touched a section of peeling paint.
Prosecutor Kevin Reddington mentioned that the government was not seeking any specific court supervision, just a “stay-at-home order,” but did not clarify what that entailed. One of Hahn’s attorneys, Mary Dorman, described him as “an upstanding citizen and member of the community,” asking the judge against imposing supervision conditions.
Dorman also pointed out that “the government’s evidence is weak.” This incident follows a $14 million restoration of the Reflecting Pool, completed under the Trump administration, and occurs amid several arrests related to damage at reflecting pools.
A video capturing Hahn’s arrest went viral after being shared by journalist Emily Miller, who alleged he had grabbed a hose from a female National Park Service employee tasked with removing algae. While Hahn refuted this claim, he acknowledged that his bicycle tire may have come in contact with the hose.
“I didn’t destroy anything,” he stated, adding that he felt handcuffed before he fully understood the situation. It’s also noteworthy that Hahn has connections to significant left-leaning fundraising networks.
Hahn has represented the U.S. in canoeing at the 1992, 1996, and 2000 Olympics.
