Three Individuals Face Charges Following Reflecting Pool Incident
Arrests and Initial Findings
Sandego.net – Law enforcement officials have formally charged three additional individuals with criminal destruction of property at the historic Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. According to official court filings, officers apprehended Cameron Thiers, Sophie Dennison-Gibby, and Justin Carreno during a Saturday afternoon in June. The arrests followed observations of the trio actively peeling and extracting fragments of blue paint from the pool’s surface.
Court documents reveal that one responding officer directly observed Carreno bending down into the water and retrieving a section of the blue paint. Meanwhile, the officer responsible for detaining Dennison-Gibby discovered an extra piece of the reflecting pool liner concealed inside her purse. All three encounters were captured on body-worn cameras worn by the participating officers, providing visual documentation of the incidents.
Law Enforcement Response and Legal Proceedings
The operation involved multiple collaborating agencies. Several partnering law enforcement organizations assigned to monitor the Reflecting Pool worked alongside US Park Police officers in detaining the two men and one woman. The collaborative effort included personnel from Texas, Oklahoma, Montana, and California, demonstrating a broad regional response to the situation.
One officer’s statement in court documents noted that Thiers “admitted to removing a piece of blue sealant from the Reflecting Pool and still had it in his hand when I made contact with him.” This admission provided additional evidence supporting the charges against him.
All three defendants appeared in court on Wednesday for their arraignment. They entered not guilty pleas to misdemeanor charges of destruction of property, with the alleged damage valued at less than $1,000. The presiding judge issued an order requiring the defendants to maintain distance from the Reflecting Pool until further notice.
Legal Consequences and Related Cases
Should the court find the defendants guilty of the charges, they face potential fines reaching $1,000 and could serve up to 180 days in jail. Lawyers representing Thiers and Dennison-Gibby chose not to provide public comment regarding the case. CNN has contacted Carreno’s legal representative for additional information.
The New York Times initially reported on the charges against these three individuals. However, it is important to note that the officers who filed charges against Carreno, Thiers, and Dennison-Gibby did not accuse them of gashing the pool’s lining—a distinction from other related cases.
In a separate but connected development, former Olympic canoeist David Hearn received an indictment from a Washington, DC grand jury last week. Hearn faces different charges than the three recently arrested individuals. While Carreno, Thiers, and Dennison-Gibby were charged with misdemeanor property destruction under $1,000, Hearn was charged with destruction of property valued at more than $1,000. This higher-level charge carries a maximum penalty of ten years imprisonment if convicted. Hearn is scheduled for his court arraignment on Thursday.
Ongoing Pool Issues and Repairs
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum announced that maintenance crews began draining the Reflecting Pool over the weekend to conduct necessary repairs. This marks the second time in three months that the iconic landmark has been drained for restoration work.
The drainage operation follows weeks of complications affecting the pool. Problems have included algae blooms, discolored green-hued water, and a chipping pool bottom. These issues, combined with the administration’s allegations of vandalism, have transformed the Reflecting Pool’s condition into a matter of national interest.
President Donald Trump has made repeated public claims that vandals caused significant damage to the pool’s lining following his administration’s expenditure of more than $14 million on renovation projects. However, the president has not yet presented concrete evidence to substantiate these assertions. The recent arrests represent just one aspect of the broader challenges facing this historic Washington, DC landmark as it undergoes continued maintenance and investigation.
