Paint applied to the bottom of the renovated Lincoln Memorial Reflecting pool can be seen peeling and floating to the surface of the water. A man was arrested on Friday for reaching into the water to touch paint floating near the side of the pool. Photo by Pat Benic/UPI | License Photo
June 20 (UPI) -- A former Olympian who was riding his bike near the Lincoln Monument Reflecting Pool was arrested after he stopped to look at the paint peeling off of its bottom.
President Donald Trump has blamed algae blooms and paint peeling off the bottom of the pool on vandalism and sabotage, The Washington Post, WUSA9 and WBNS reported that the paint has been seen peeling and floating to the top of the water for days.
David Hearn, a resident of Bethesda, Md., was arrested on Friday for damaging public property after reaching into the water to touch the peeling paint.
In several interviews, Hearn said that he went to look at the pool, the condition of which he'd read about in news reports.
