U.S. drops Reflecting Pool case, admits damage due to botched work

The United States Department of Justice has dropped a criminal case against a former Olympian who had been accused of deliberately damaging the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington. The case was dismissed on Friday after authorities acknowledged that the damage to the landmark was actually the result of botched renovations rather than intentional vandalism.

The hurried renovation work at the site had been ordered by President Donald Trump. Prosecutors moved to drop the charges after determining that the accused individual was not responsible for the harm done to the pool, conceding instead that the construction work itself was flawed.