Trump says multiple people have been arrested for allegedly vandalizing Reflecting Pool

[u/John3262005]

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-reflecting-pool-vandalism-arrest-washington-dc/

The United States Park Police have arrested multiple people for allegedly vandalizing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, President Trump said Saturday, days after algae turned the water a fluorescent green hue and rips appeared in an "American Flag Blue" surface handpicked by the president.

"The United States Park Police have arrested multiple individuals for vandalizing our Nations magnificent Reflecting Poll (sic)," Mr. Trump said in a Truth Social post Saturday. "Who would do such a thing? These are very serious crimes having to do with the destruction of National Monuments. Years in jail! Work will begin immediately on its repair."

David Hearn, a 67-year-old Bethesda, Maryland, man who stopped by the pool while on a 64-mile bike ride, said authorities arrested him and held him for five hours on Friday after he reached down into the pool.

Hearn, a former Olympic canoe racer who owned a company that provided materials to build watercraft, said it was scientific interest that drew him to the pool. He told The Associated Press he wanted to examine the peeling new coating on the bottom of the pool that Mr. Trump had ordered installed.

He said he briefly touched a chunk that was still attached to the side of the pool, then let go shortly after a park worker told him to. But, Hearn said, he was then detained by National Guard troops and Park Police.

"I'm a curious citizen," Hearn said in a telephone interview. "I reached down to see what it felt like. It was very rubbery."

The Washington Post first reported on Hearn's arrest, and he said he has a date to appear in court next month and is looking for legal help.

In a Truth Social post Friday night, Mr. Trump alleged, without providing evidence, that three days prior, vandals had "destroyed the grass outside of the Pool" and had "also done everything possible to hurt the inside surface that was just installed."

The Reflecting Pool has faced problems with leaks, algae and faulty plumbing for years. In April, the president launched an effort to address the pool's "terrible" condition, part of a slate of spring cleaning projects in Washington, D.C., ahead of the nation's 250th birthday.