Nevada Tree Killer Gets 5 Years In Prison

A 61-year-old retiree found guilty of destroying about 500 trees to get a better view of the Las Vegas Strip from his back yard has been sentenced to up to five years in prison, the Los Angeles Times reports.

"I am not a bad person. I am a good person," Douglas Hoffman told the judge who sentenced him to prison, according to the newspaper.

Hoffman, who had moved with his wife into an upscale retirement community just south of Las Vegas five years ago, had complained to the homeowners committee that the greenery was blocking his view of the Strip. At once point he even asked if he could swap out the rapidly growing trees marring the couple's view for shrubs. He was told no.

So he took matters into his own hands.In 2004, the tops of 60 trees were lopped off. Homeowners thought it was maybe teenagers. Over the next year, more trees - some worth $1,450 - were felled. The developer hired a private security firm. Upset residents posted photos of the carnage online.

Hoffman severed some, but other he sliced just enough so that they would slowly die. In a year's time, authorities said, he wiped out more than 500 trees.

Then one November night in 2005, one resident - who just happened to be a retired sherrif's deputy - was driving home when he noticed a freshly cut tree and a figure disappear into the darkness. He grabbed a golf club and gave chase. He found Hoffman, patted him down, and found a single-blade saw under his clothes.

When authorities searched Hoffman's home, they found a seven-page screed decrying the community's landscaping.