The Justice Department moved to drop felony charges Friday against former Olympian David Hearn after acknowledging that damage to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was caused by a flawed installation rather than vandalism.

The motion to dismiss was filed by D.C. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro after prosecutors concluded that the damage attributed to Hearn stemmed from defects in the installation of the Reflecting Pool’s liner. The filing said information obtained after the indictment showed the damage was caused by “botched work” performed by the project’s contractor, not by criminal conduct.

Hearn, a former Olympic canoeist, had pleaded not guilty to a felony charge of destruction of property after authorities alleged he damaged the iconic Reflecting Pool during a June visit to the National Mall. Prosecutors had accused him of pulling at the pool’s liner, but acknowledged in the filing that it would be “difficult to attribute widespread damage to the Reflecting Pool.”

The case unraveled in recent weeks as defense attorneys challenged the evidence presented to a grand jury. Court filings cited testimony from a National Park Service official who said the pool had significant preexisting problems, including leaks and a torn liner, before Hearn ever touched it.

“The Trump administration’s case against Davey Hearn should never have been brought. Its dismissal today does not erase the abuse of government power in arresting and charging a patriotic American who did nothing wrong,” attorneys for Hearn said in a statement.  “The government’s approach was ready, fire, aim. The administration owes Mr. Hearn an apology.”

In Friday’s filing, prosecutors appeared to blame their indictment on incomplete information provided by the Department of Interior, and that later disclosures pointed to poor workmanship rather than vandalism.

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