WaPo: "DC police probing widespread tree carvings in NW make an arrest in Shaw"

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D.C. police probing widespread tree carvings in NW make an arrest in Shaw

By Peter Hermann and Hoai-Tran Bui, Updated: Thursday, March 13, 7:27 PM
              

The mysterious markings resembling crop circles carved into trees in Northwest Washington began appearing Monday along streets stretching from Bloomingdale to Shaw.
                     
The destruction seemed indiscriminate — mature oaks to freshly planted sycamores were targeted. It also seemed methodical — upwards of 15 trees damaged on single blocks, some with several circles on the trunks and forged with a brick deep into the bark.
                   
When workers for the D.C. Urban Forestry division finished counting, they found more than 100 damaged trees in two neighborhoods. It’s uncertain whether all the trees will survive. But more damaging is the hit on the neighborhood psyche.
                                   
A D.C. police officer arrested a man Wednesday morning after seeing him deface a tree on the southwest corner of Ninth and P streets in Shaw, according to a police report. Bonerje Hernandez, 45, whose last known address was in Northwest, was charged in a criminal citation with destruction of property and released. His next court date had not been set.
                                           
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The damage could easily be in the thousands of dollars, he said, noting that it was too early to know whether any of the trees are in danger of dying. “Some may very well decline and ultimately die as a result of the injuries,” Eutsler said. Referring to smog, exhaust and other urban phenomena, he added: “The street is a very hostile environment. This is an additional stress.”