DeLand officials stumped about tree destruction

BEACON PHOTO/BARB SHEPHERD
Gone — Two oak trees along South Alabama Avenue were chopped off Sunday, Sept. 13.

Trees disappeared midday Sunday

By Barb Shepherd
BEACON STAFF WRITER

posted Sep 15, 2009 - 1:23:50pm

DeLand officials are stumped about who whacked off two oak trees four feet from the ground and left the trunks and branches lying on the sidewalk.

According to neighbors, the culprit struck in the middle of the day Sunday, Sept. 13, in the 200 block of South Alabama Avenue, in the Garden District neighborhood.

Barren 4-foot stumps are all that remain of two oaks that graced the right of way in front of the home at 201 S. Alabama Ave.

"It was not us," City of DeLand Public Works Director Marvin Williams said. "I have questioned everyone in our tree division, up and down, and they flat-out denied it."

Garden District creator Michael Arth said the residents of 201 S. Alabama Ave. left their home about 1:30 p.m. Sunday and noticed nothing out of order as they pulled out of the driveway. When Arth traveled by the spot just five or 10 minutes later, he said, the toppled trees were lying on the pavement.

Arth said the damage appears to have been done with a chain saw.

The trees are just south of the intersection of South Alabama Avenue and East Howry Avenue, the scene of a serious vehicular crash Sept. 9 that injured two West Volusia teenagers.

The 17-year-old driver, from Lake Helen, was northbound on Alabama Avenue and ran the stop sign at Howry Avenue, according to the police report. The Toyota pickup she was driving was struck by a commercial box truck that had been headed west on Howry.

Her truck struck the curb and flipped over, coming to rest against an oak tree in the right of way along Howry, the report says. She and her 16-year-old passenger, from Orange City, were both rushed to the hospital for treatment of injuries the police report describes as "minor." The driver of the box truck was not hurt.

The passenger was airlifted to Halifax Health Medical Center in Daytona Beach, where she remained hospitalized today, Sept. 15. The driver was no longer listed as a patient at either Halifax or Florida Hospital-DeLand. Both girls had been wearing their seat belts.

Also according to the police report, road conditions were not a factor in the crash, and the driver's ability to see the stop sign was not obstructed. The driver was cited for running the stop sign.

A City of DeLand tree crew did trim the two oaks in question Friday, Sept. 11.

Public Works Director Williams said the DeLand fire chief contacted him after Wednesday's crash and mentioned the possible need for Friday's trim job.

Two days later, someone completed the job in a dramatic manner.

Deputy Chief Randal Henderson of the DeLand Police Department said a report was filed about the trees' destruction. Whether the crime would be considered felony or misdemeanor criminal mischief, Henderson said, would depend on whether the trees' value was determined to be more than $300.

Henderson said anyone with information about the incident may call DeLand Police Department Neighborhood Watch Coordinator Rod Hancock at (386) 740-5885, or by e-mail to hancockr@deland.org.

— info@beacononlinenews.com

Reader Comments

The comments posted below are posted by readers, not by The Beacon staff. These comments express the views and opinions of the authors, and not the administrators, moderators or webmaster. The comments forum is governed by these rules. Please use the report abuse link if you find offensive comments.

Comment on this article

Commenting is closed for this article.

If you would like to contribute a letter to the editor, please click here.

Did you find this story interesting or informative? Subscribe to The DeLand-Deltona Beacon to read more stories by Barb Shepherd, along with others from our award-winning writers. Subscribe now!