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<em>L&O: Arboricide Unit</em>: Brooklyn Tree Branch Breaker Nabbed
By
Jen Chung
Published Jul 15, 2010
Modified Jul 15, 2010
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By
Jen Chung
Published Jul 15, 2010
Modified Jul 15, 2010
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Ending his alleged months- long reign of terror, a man was arrested for breaking tree branches in the Prospect Heights section of Brooklyn. According to the NY Times, "On Wednesday afternoon, the man, identified by the authorities as Steve Maynard, 35, was arrested in Prospect Park by the Park Enforcement Patrol and taken to the 78th Precinct in Brooklyn. He was charged with criminal mischief, specifically arborcide, the vandalism of public trees. The violation could result in up to $15,000 in fines and up to a year in jail."
The Brooklynian message board's thread "Tree Branch Breaker" started April 19, with descriptions of Steve ("I think once you see Steve you will know it's him. It's like seeing a UFO. You don't know what it looks like, but once you see one, you know what you've seen."), his damage ("He killed a tree in front of 711 Sterling. I mean, he broke it at its base. He attacked trees all along Franklin, as well. Even on Bedford and Park Place there are broken branches. He broke so many branches on the tree in front of Bristen's. I can't believe this.") and other encounters ("I saw Crazy Steve today. He stood on Franklin glaring either at an overhead tree branch, or two women with a baby in a carriage.").
A Parks Department official told the Times that Maynard seems to be "one seriously disturbed individual... I don’t know what is the right assistance or intervention, but my suspicion is that jail is probably not the answer.” One Brooklynian poster said, "I have NO sympathy for his illness. I am terribly angry at Crazy Steve. I am going to invest what little money I have in a tree to plant one where he destroyed one, and I swear, if he touches it, I am not going to go through any of this bullshit again. I am just going to walk up to him and start rockin' and rollin'."
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Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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