$147K reward offered to unmask mystery tree poisoning suspect

A staggering $147,000 reward has been offered in an ultra-wealthy Lake Tahoe community to unmask a suspect accused of poisoning nearly 30 iconic trees.

Twenty-eight pine trees have been poisoned at Burnt Cedar Beach in the Incline Village of Lake Tahoe over a series of incidents dating back to 2022.

Three separate incidents have already occurred this year alone. In May, a strong odor believed to be diesel fuel was being emitted by four trees while the same scent was discovered around two trees in July.

Around a week later in August, ten more trees were found to be poisoned.

“Investigators have documented 28 affected trees across three incidents in the same area and believe the cases are connected. Six trees were damaged in 2022, another six in 2024 and 16 more were discovered this year, resulting in an estimated $300,000 loss,” the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office said in August.

The vandals also drilled dozens of holes into tree trunks and poured substances to kill the trees.

“They bore a hole about this big, and they bore three or four or five holes per tree trunk. And they bore them on an angle, so when they pour the stuff in, you know, it’s really hard to flush out because it’s going down into the center of the trunk,” a community member from the Friends of Burnt Cedar Beach told ABC 7.

“There were a total of 72 holes drilled in 28 trees. So these people were serious. And three of the 16 that were targeted this summer are already showing significant signs of distress, which means they will likely die,” the resident continued.

Friends of Burnt Cedar Beach is a group made up of private donors and community members from Incline Village as a response to the tree poisoning incidents. The group is providing $122,000 alongside $25,000 from the Incline Village General Improvement District to put together the $147,000 reward.

Nicknamed “Income Village,” the area is home to some of the wealthiest people in the world, such as Larry Ellison and Mark Zuckerberg, both of whom have purchased large estates nearby.

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