A Washington, D.C., judge has dismissed with prejudice the criminal case against former Olympian David Hearn, preventing the government from bringing future charges related to alleged vandalism of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. D.C. Superior Court Judge Todd Edelman issued the ruling on Thursday, citing what he described as “exceptional” circumstances that warranted barring the government from retrying Hearn.

The case arose after renovations were completed on the Reflecting Pool ahead of the nation’s 250th anniversary, during which a blue coating was applied. Shortly after the work was finished, damage to the coating was discovered. Hearn was indicted in early July by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro on a felony charge of causing over $1,000 in property damage. However, the government later dropped the case after obtaining new evidence indicating that the damage resulted from “botched installation” rather than vandalism.

Judge Edelman criticized the government’s handling of the prosecution, saying the risk remained that Hearn could face renewed charges based on what prosecutors had already determined was unfounded. "The government has no right to retain the ability to compound the errors it has already made," Edelman wrote, emphasizing the threat of “prosecutorial harassment.”

The case became embroiled in political controversy after President Donald Trump, who had overseen the Reflecting Pool renovation and promoted the blue coating, publicly insisted that vandals were responsible for the damage. Reports indicate that Trump considered dismissing Pirro for abandoning the prosecution, expressing frustration that her office contradicted his account of the incident. In August, Trump described the U.S. Attorney’s actions as a failure in the Oval Office.

Edelman referenced the president’s public statements as evidence that Hearn remained vulnerable to renewed prosecution either due to ongoing political pressure or potential changes in U.S. Attorney leadership. During a September court hearing, Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Spence stated there were no immediate plans to file new charges against Hearn but declined to rule out further investigation.

Hearn, a three-time Olympic white-water canoeist, was arrested in June after he reportedly reached into the water to touch a fragment of the coating that had already detached. He had sought judicial protection from additional charges, characterizing the situation as “prosecutorial harassment.”

The dismissal effectively closes the case against Hearn, ensuring he cannot be retried for the alleged vandalism related to the Reflecting Pool.