WASHINGTON: The Justice Department moved Friday to dismiss a criminal case charging a former Olympian with deliberately damaging the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, saying evidence prosecutors had recently received refuted the idea that vandals were to blame.

The government had accused David Hearn of ripping a piece of sealant after a $14 million renovation. Hearn has repeatedly said that he simply touched the water in the pool out of…

The Justice Department has moved to dismiss a criminal case charging a former Olympian with deliberately damaging the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.