TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Police in Changhua’s Yuanlin City reviewed surveillance footage from dozens of cameras to discover a construction contractor surnamed Lin (林) hired a worker to poison four street trees on Yuanlin Avenue.
The trees had a hole in the trunk, which was later filled with herbicide. The herbicide caused the trees to wither and lose their leaves with city officials worried they would not recover from the poisoning, per China Times.
After being brought in for questioning on Friday (March 1), the Yuanlin Police Station learned Lin was angered by leaves from the trees affecting a nearby painting project he was hired to do. Lin hired a man surnamed Chang (張) to drill holes in the trees and pour in a general-use glyphosate herbicide.
After learning of the tree poisonings from local citizens, Yuanlin Police Precinct Chief Wu Yung-jie (吳詠傑) formed a task force to investigate the case. A review of surveillance footage discovered a man getting out of a truck with a drill in his hand. Police later tracked the vehicle back to Chang and Lin.
Police recover manual drill used for poisoning trees. (Yuanlin City Police Department photo)
Police later found the drill as well as an empty bottle of herbicide. Police also learned Lin had paid Chang NT$1,200 (US$38) to poison the trees.
The case is currently being transferred to the Changhua District Prosecutors Office for investigation under Article 138 of the Criminal Code for damaging government property, which carries a fine between NT$5,000 to NT$50,000 and a requirement to restore or replace the trees within a specified time frame.
