Three more individuals have been charged with destruction of property at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington, D.C., according to court documents obtained by CNN. The charges come just months after former President Donald Trump’s administration completed a $14 million restoration of the iconic landmark.
Officers arrested Cameron Thiers, Sophie Dennison-Gibby, and Justin Carreno on a Saturday afternoon in June. Witnesses and body camera footage show the trio peeling and removing pieces of blue paint from the reflecting pool’s liner. One officer reported seeing Carreno reach into the water and pull up a piece of the sealant, while another found a fragment of the liner in Dennison-Gibby’s purse. Thiers allegedly admitted to having a piece of sealant in his hand when confronted.
The arrests were made by a team of law enforcement officers from multiple states, including Texas, Oklahoma, Montana, and California, who were assigned to patrol the Reflecting Pool in coordination with the U.S. Park Police.
All three defendants pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor destruction of property charges (value under $1,000) during their arraignment on Wednesday. The judge ordered them to stay away from the reflecting pool. If convicted, each faces a fine of up to $1,000 and a maximum of 180 days in jail.
This incident follows a separate indictment of former Olympic canoeist David Hearn, who is charged with a felony count of destruction of property (value over $1,000) related to alleged gashing of the pool’s lining. Hearn’s case carries a potential 10-year prison sentence. Meanwhile, the pool was drained for repairs over the weekend—the second such draining in three months—after weeks of algae blooms, green water, chipping paint, and allegations of vandalism that have drawn national attention to the site’s ongoing struggles.
President Trump has repeatedly claimed that vandals caused major damage to the pool’s lining, though no evidence has been provided to support that claim. The officers who charged Carreno, Thiers, and Dennison-Gibby did not accuse them of such extensive damage.
