Reflecting Pool in Washington, DC: US court accuses ex-Olympian of damaging water pools
In the affair surrounding a water basin in Washington, DC that turned green despite expensive renovation, a court in the US capital has brought charges against a former Olympian. According to court documents, the public prosecutor’s office accuses him of criminal damage. The jury at the court admitted the charges and considered the case a criminal offense, said Attorney General Jeanine Pirro. If convicted, the defendant faces up to ten years in prison.
The approximately 600 meter long pool is one of the landmarks of the US capital and is located between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington
Monument. The so-called reflecting pool has received greater attention in recent months after US President Donald Trump ordered a $14 million renovation. Trump wanted to give the pool a blue glow.
A few days after the work was finished, algae turned the pool green again. Trump then claimed that the discoloration was due to vandalism. Soon after, he said federal authorities arrested several people who had damaged the reflecting pool. Trump threatened long prison sentences.
The 67-year-old said he wanted to check the pool coating
The now accused man from Bethesda, Maryland, represented the USA three times in the canoe slalom at the Olympic Games. He used to own a company that made composite materials for building watercraft. According to him, he had stopped at the pool during a bike ride of around 100 kilometers. The 67-year-old told the AP news agency that he got into the water to check the new coating on the pool. He let go immediately when a park employee asked him to do so. He was held by National Guard soldiers and Park Police for five hours after the incident, he told the AP.
Trump is under pressure to explain why the renovation project he initiated did not produce the desired result. The US President had promised a blue pool of water for the 250th Independence Day on Saturday. The high costs of the project and the awarding of the contract without tendering have also been criticized in view of the discoloration.