Arrest made in poisoning of Auburn University's iconic oak trees

[shipperx]

Lately, it seems like far too many people have lost their effing minds. What's next? Is someone going to poison Uga?! (Explanation: Uga is the name of the University of Georgia's bulldog mascot. Uga is an actual dog).

Auburn is a public state university. This is vandalizing state property. These were 130+ year old trees at the front of the university. (And you would have to be crazy-stupid to do it as it's not only the most trafficked corner of the university, but it's dead center front of Biggin Hall and so would absolutely have sercurity cameras for the protection of students).

From CNN.com:

For decades, the live oak trees at Auburn's Toomer's Corner have hosted myriad celebrations following wins by the Tigers football team. Police block off the nearby intersection as fans frolic in the street, hurling rolls of toilet paper into the trees until the entire corner looks as if it was hit by a snowstorm.

But the tradition may soon end, at least for these particular trees.

Last month, a professed University of Alabama fan – upset after the Tigers' 28-27 comeback victory over the Crimson Tide in November – called a nationally syndicated sports-talk radio show in Birmingham to boast that he had poisoned the trees. He said he used the herbicide Spike 80DF, or tebuthiuron.

Auburn University conducted tests after the January 27 phone call and confirmed Wednesday that lethal doses of Spike 80DF had indeed been applied to the soil around the trees. There is little chance the 130-year-old trees will survive, according to a university statement.

[Updated at 10:30 a.m. ET] Authorities have arrested a Dadeville, Alabama, man and charged him with criminal mischief for applying herbicide to the live oaks at Auburn's Toomer's Corner, according to CNN affiliate WTVM in Columbus, Georgia.

A source at the Lee County Justice Center told the station that Auburn city police arrested Harvey Almorn Updyke, 62, Thursday.

Officials will hold a news conference later this morning.


ETA: He's been charged with a class 'C' felony with mandatory jail time. And he's an ex-Texas Ranger! ::headdesk::

http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2011/02/17/auburn-universitys-iconic-oaks-poisoned-will-likely-die/

Comments

[timeofchange.livejournal.com]

What the fuck?!?

[petzipellepingo.livejournal.com]

WTF? That's the most insane thing I've read in a long time.

[usedtobeljs]

The hell?

You're right --"lost their effing minds" indeed. I mean, who does that?

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

Seriously.

I instantly remembered the call to Finebaum. At the time no one took the caller seriously (except apparently Auburn that tested the soil).

This is just insane. This is serious vandalism and more than that it's just cruel.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

I remember hearing the original confession call to Finebaum. No one took it seriously. When Auburn announced yesterday that they had tested the soil and he really had done that, I was flabberghasted.

That's just awful.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

Seriously. People have lost their MINDS!

[sp23.livejournal.com]

OMG, that's sickening. And yeah, the people at Auburn had better keep an even closer eye on that poor dog. God knows what insanity this stunt may put into someone's sick brain.

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

Don't suppose you can impose life imprisonment for a crime like that?

Proof that sports fans are crazier than other fans. ;-)

[molliemole.livejournal.com]

I hope he gets the absolute maximum punishment allowed by law, but it won't bring the trees back.
And, at 62, he's sure old enough to know better. When I first read this, I assumed idiot students had done it.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

Uga is the University of Georgia's mascot. Auburn's live animal mascot is currently a bald eagle (traditionally it's a golden eagle but currently it's a bald one) so no one is touching Tiger (the Auburn mascot) because that would be a federal crime against an endangered species.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

Under what he was charged for it's not more than ten and not less than a year and a day. (I'm also on board with the caller on the show today who suggested the guy be placed on a road crew and required to plant lots and lots of trees on public land).

And one would guess this is a slam dunk case as:

A) The herbicide used is a controlled substance (and expensive) so there is no doubt a paper trail.

B) There's a live webcam and multiple security cameras in that area.

C) He freaking called a nationally syndicated radio show and said he did it. I actually heard the call several weeks ago. Most people -- including the host -- thought it was a joke. And, had he not called, chances are slim that it would have been noticed until early summer (as apparently the process of the chemical is to allow the tree to leaf out and then have the leaves fall off). It's only because he called the radio show that the university even thought to check that such a thing was going on.

It's truly astounding that someone would do something like this (and he claimed it was in retaliation for the Auburn fans placing a Cam Newton jersey on the Bear Bryant statue in front of of the Alabama stadium. Dude. Placing a football jersey on a statue falls under the category of 'prank.' Sure, it's aggravating, but no actual damage done. This is killing 130+ year old trees... and everything living within a large radius of those trees. And it's in an extremely active thoroughfare of a state public university! That's insane.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

With what he's currently charged with, it would have a sentence of not more than 10 years and not less than a year and a day. Though in the press conference it sounds as though there may also be federal charges because the herbicide that was used was a controlled substance.

[hazel75.livejournal.com]

That's terrible. Absolutely terrible.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

It really is apalling. It's defacing public property and endangering students.

[sp23.livejournal.com]

Duh, I knew that! /smacks head LOL

How on earth did Auburn get permission to have a bald eagle?

[hazel75.livejournal.com]

And intentionally destroying something that's irreplaceable. I mean, spraypaint the streets with nasty words if you're that immature, but poisoning historic live oaks. We lost so many on the Gulf Coast after Katrina it just makes me sick.

[wildrider.livejournal.com]

That's just EVIL. Taking out one's frustrations on innocent, ancient trees is just plain EVIL. (Not to mention all kinds of stupid, as you note.)

Geezus.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

They have a huge vet school and are an official eagle rehabilitation sanctuary. I assume the eagle must have been injured and cannot be re-released. Auburn doesn't breed eagles. All of the eagles they've had have been rehabilitated.

[sourisvho.livejournal.com]

That is utterly appalling. What an asshat. If somebody did that to our Davie Poplar on campus, people would go apeshit.