David Hearn pleaded not guilty on Thursday in D.C. Superior Court to a felony charge tied to alleged damage to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, and Amy Goodman was not part of the hearing but his case moved ahead with his release on his own recognizance. Judge Carmen McLean set the next status hearing for Wednesday, Aug. 5.
Mary Dohrmann entered the plea for Hearn, who faces one count of destruction of property over a 2 square foot section of the pool. That charge carries up to 10 years in prison.
Steven Levin and Mary Dohrmann
Hearn sat between his attorneys, Steven Levin and Mary Dohrmann, in a packed courtroom as the not guilty plea was entered. The hearing put the felony case on a different track from the misdemeanor cases filed against three other defendants in the same Reflecting Pool matter.
Those separate cases were filed against Cameron Thiers, Sophie Dennison-Gibby and Justin Carreno for allegedly removing pieces of blue paint from the site on Saturday, June 20. On Wednesday, all three appeared in court and entered not guilty pleas to misdemeanor destruction of property charges.
Norm Eisen and the Reflecting Pool
Norm Eisen said Hearn is being used as a scapegoat and argued that the case is aimed at shifting blame for administration failures on one of Donald Trump's Washington beautification projects. He also said, "Today, Davey Hearn pled not guilty because he is not guilty."
He added, "If Mr. Hearn can be charged with a felony for touching the Reflecting Pool, every American is at risk and every American should be alarmed about this prosecution." Eisen said, "This indictment reflects the administration's effort to scapegoat Davey and to shift blame for their own failures."
Prosecutors say the Reflecting Pool had turned green and pieces of the liner started bubbling up after it was painted last month, and the pool had been plagued with algae and peeling paint since the Trump administration completed a $16 million renovation. President Donald Trump blamed vandals without providing evidence, while Jeanine Pirro announced the indictment on July 2.
Wednesday, Aug. 5 hearing
McLean released Hearn on his own recognizance and set the next status hearing for Wednesday, Aug. 5. Eisen said, "We anticipate receiving substantial discovery," and added, "The evidence will establish, as we have stated today, Mr. Hearn is innocent." He also said, "We will reserve questions about exactly what happened for the trial."
