David Hearn Seeks Permanent Bar on Reflecting Pool Felony Case After $1,000 Damage Claim Collapses
Updated
Updated · NBC News · Aug 4
David Hearn Seeks Permanent Bar on Reflecting Pool Felony Case After $1,000 Damage Claim Collapses
1 articles · Updated · NBC News · Aug 4
Summary
David Hearn’s lawyers asked a D.C. court to dismiss the Reflecting Pool case with prejudice, which would permanently block prosecutors from refiling charges tied to his June arrest.
Their filing says the felony case was politically driven and factually unsupported, after prosecutors last week dropped it while acknowledging Interior Department records showed the pool damage stemmed from a rushed, botched installation.
The defense also said a key witness initially could not tie Hearn to at least $1,000 in damage, and disclosed that a National Park Service engineer had cut loose peeling liner himself to keep it from worsening.
Jeanine Pirro’s office had dismissed the case without prejudice, preserving the option to bring it again; Hearn’s lawyers also accused her of unethical public comments about his guilt.
The case remains open in D.C. Superior Court, with no ruling yet on the request to bar reprosecution and a hearing previously set for Thursday now canceled.