Two are charged in tree poisoning

TreeCo · 25th May 2007, 11:31 PM

http://delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs....0372/1006/NEWS

Two are charged in tree poisoning
Dewey homeowner, handyman accused
By ANDRE L. TAYLOR, The News Journal

Posted Friday, May 25, 2007
A Dewey Beach woman and her handyman have been charged with poisoning a sycamore tree on a nearby playground that blocked her view of Rehoboth Bay.

State agricultural officials have quarantined the park until tests determine what kind of poison was used, Dewey Beach police said Thursday.

Pearl Golden, 57, was arrested May 18 and charged with criminal mischief, second-degree conspiracy and criminal solicitation, all felonies, Dewey Beach police said. Her handyman, Daniel Furr, 22, of Dover, turned himself in two days later on charges of criminal mischief and second-degree conspiracy.

Both were arraigned at Justice of the Peace Court No. 3 in Georgetown and released, Golden on $5,000 unsecured bail and Furr on $2,000 unsecured bail.

According to court records, Golden told a witness in late April that she was aggravated with the local Lions Club for putting up a fence between its McKinley Street playground and her house.

She had encountered problems with the club in the past, she said, and decided to have her handyman kill a tree on the club's playground so she could have a better view of the bay, police wrote in court records.

Shortly afterward, the witness saw Furr carrying a cordless drill with a 12-inch drill bit. Furr explained that he planned to drill several holes in the tree and fill them with a powerful poison, court records say.

Furr later returned to the home laughing and said the tree would be dead within a week, court records say; Golden said she planned to take photos to record the tree's demise.

The witness contacted police on April 25, and a day later, a police officer found five small holes drilled in the base of the 30-foot sycamore, police Cpl. Clifford Dempsey said in a statement.

The officer also noticed the grass around the tree had begun to dry and was discolored. The tree later began to shed its leaves and has since died.

Investigators later confirmed the tree blocked Golden's view of the bay and, upon searching her home, found other pieces of evidence that substantiated the witness' account, Dempsey said.

Contact Andre L. Taylor at 324-2890 or andretaylor@delawareonline.com.

Eric Frei · 26th May 2007, 12:02 AM

Ha, they got dobbed in!

Jeff Darby · 26th May 2007, 12:07 PM

Good stuff! it needs to happen in Australia aswell..I mean some of the criminal pruning and butchering you see happening to trees is discusting.

Ekka, Dobing seems so un Australian, I prefer the term "Report their criminal activities". Good to hear they went down for this!

Sean Freeman · 26th May 2007, 04:00 PM

It is extremely difficult time consuming and expensive to get successful prosecutions here in Oz and suspect it is the same elsewhere. You virtually need video evidenceof the person(s) doing it and even then!!

I'm a huge fan of the shame bill board in cases like that one above, been done number of times in Brissy and Gold Coast, wish we had similar up here. Obviously in large scale cases like the farmer/landowner poisoning hundreds of trees we need laws with more teeth, but as I say very hard and long winded to get prosecutions.

mdvaden · 28th May 2007, 10:10 AM

A lot of people in the United States don't realize that misuse of pesticides is often a felony crime.

Once that gets on their record as a crime, they even loose the right to own and carry firearms.

Since I've been in business - 1988 - at least 15 to 20 households have asked me what they could poison trees with; trees that aren't their trees.

I never feel sorry for people who get caught for using pesticides on other people's property and trees.

In that article, the crimes listed didn't seem to involve violations of pesticide label and use laws. Its possible that more charges will be filed after the department of agriculture tests the pesticides and soil.

Odds are, that the drill bit still has residue on it with microscopic pieces of wood from the tree..

25th May 2007, 11:31 PM	#1
TreeCo Mature tree Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Georgia, USA Posts: 307	Two are charged in tree poisoning http://delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs....0372/1006/NEWS Two are charged in tree poisoning Dewey homeowner, handyman accused By ANDRE L. TAYLOR, The News Journal Posted Friday, May 25, 2007 A Dewey Beach woman and her handyman have been charged with poisoning a sycamore tree on a nearby playground that blocked her view of Rehoboth Bay. State agricultural officials have quarantined the park until tests determine what kind of poison was used, Dewey Beach police said Thursday. Pearl Golden, 57, was arrested May 18 and charged with criminal mischief, second-degree conspiracy and criminal solicitation, all felonies, Dewey Beach police said. Her handyman, Daniel Furr, 22, of Dover, turned himself in two days later on charges of criminal mischief and second-degree conspiracy. Both were arraigned at Justice of the Peace Court No. 3 in Georgetown and released, Golden on $5,000 unsecured bail and Furr on $2,000 unsecured bail. According to court records, Golden told a witness in late April that she was aggravated with the local Lions Club for putting up a fence between its McKinley Street playground and her house. She had encountered problems with the club in the past, she said, and decided to have her handyman kill a tree on the club's playground so she could have a better view of the bay, police wrote in court records. Shortly afterward, the witness saw Furr carrying a cordless drill with a 12-inch drill bit. Furr explained that he planned to drill several holes in the tree and fill them with a powerful poison, court records say. Furr later returned to the home laughing and said the tree would be dead within a week, court records say; Golden said she planned to take photos to record the tree's demise. The witness contacted police on April 25, and a day later, a police officer found five small holes drilled in the base of the 30-foot sycamore, police Cpl. Clifford Dempsey said in a statement. The officer also noticed the grass around the tree had begun to dry and was discolored. The tree later began to shed its leaves and has since died. Investigators later confirmed the tree blocked Golden's view of the bay and, upon searching her home, found other pieces of evidence that substantiated the witness' account, Dempsey said. Contact Andre L. Taylor at 324-2890 or andretaylor@delawareonline.com.

26th May 2007, 12:02 AM	#2
Eric Frei Admin - Razor sharp and independent 2 X Diploma Level 5 qualified arborist Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Brisbane Posts: 12,820	Ha, they got dobbed in! __________________ Protect your rights to work - Join Australian Tree Association My businesses:- Qualified Brisbane Tree Lopping \| Stump Grinding Brisbane \| Brisbane - Gold Coast Consulting Arborist

26th May 2007, 12:07 PM	#3
Jeff Darby Moderator - Previously known as JayD Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: TreeWorld, Sydney Australia Posts: 2,031	Good stuff! it needs to happen in Australia aswell..I mean some of the criminal pruning and butchering you see happening to trees is discusting. Ekka, Dobing seems so un Australian, I prefer the term "Report their criminal activities". Good to hear they went down for this! __________________ Member: Australian Tree Association Join the Australian Tree Association...Have your voice heard ! Arboriculture, A life long study for some, a passing phase for others © Jeffrey J Darby 2011

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode

26th May 2007, 04:00 PM	#4
Sean Freeman Monument Status Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Townsville Nth Queensland & Gold Coast Sth Queensland Posts: 1,985	It is extremely difficult time consuming and expensive to get successful prosecutions here in Oz and suspect it is the same elsewhere. You virtually need video evidenceof the person(s) doing it and even then!! I'm a huge fan of the shame bill board in cases like that one above, been done number of times in Brissy and Gold Coast, wish we had similar up here. Obviously in large scale cases like the farmer/landowner poisoning hundreds of trees we need laws with more teeth, but as I say very hard and long winded to get prosecutions.

28th May 2007, 10:10 AM	#5
mdvaden Former Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Oregon Posts: 397	A lot of people in the United States don't realize that misuse of pesticides is often a felony crime. Once that gets on their record as a crime, they even loose the right to own and carry firearms. Since I've been in business - 1988 - at least 15 to 20 households have asked me what they could poison trees with; trees that aren't their trees. I never feel sorry for people who get caught for using pesticides on other people's property and trees. In that article, the crimes listed didn't seem to involve violations of pesticide label and use laws. Its possible that more charges will be filed after the department of agriculture tests the pesticides and soil. Odds are, that the drill bit still has residue on it with microscopic pieces of wood from the tree..