A Mason City man is accused of killing three trees that belong to the city. Sixty-three-year-old Robert Willemsen is charged with one count of second-degree criminal mischief.
Court documents say Willemsen is accused of cutting a ring around the trunk of each of the trees in front of his home in the 1000 block of Briarstone Drive on August 14th.
The damage resulted in the trees not being able to absorb water, resulting in the trees dying. Sgt. Tiffany Creekmur of the Mason City Police Department says Willemsen has admitted damaging the trees, but he won’t say why. The cost of removing and replacing the trees has been estimated to be about $1,650.
Online court records show Willemsen has waived his preliminary hearing in the case, but no future court dates are listed.
(Reporting by Bob Fisher, KRIB, Mason City)