Dec 04,2007
Tree-hacking man may get 35 years
by UPI
HENDERSON, Nev. -- A 60-year-old man convicted of destroying hundreds of trees obstructing his view of the Las Vegas Strip could be sent to jail for 35 years.
Last month, Douglas Hoffman was convicted on 10 counts of destroying almost $250,000 worth of trees that had grown to obstruct his view in the retirement community of Henderson, Nev., the Los Angeles Times reported.
He is expected to be sentenced next month, and faces as much as 35 years in prison for malicious destruction, prosecutors said.
Hoffman and wife moved into the area five years ago, and soon after, asked the community association for permission to prune back some trees because of the sightline, but were refused.
Soon after, trees were found mangled, some cut right down, others damaged badly enough they couldn't survive, prosecutors said.
On Nov. 26, 2005, just after midnight, a retired sheriff's deputy challenged a man who turned out to be Hoffman near a freshly cut tree. Hoffman denied any cutting, but had a saw in his pocket, the report said.
Copyright © 2007, by United Press International. All Rights Reserved.
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