Ex-deputy confronts vandalism suspect

Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2005 | 8 a.m.

Maybe it's the only way that the bizarre case of felled trees in an upscale Henderson neighborhood could end: A retired sheriff's deputy cracking the case with an assist from a golf club.

As retired Ventura County sheriff's Capt. Bill Edwards was driving home to Sun City Anthem in the early morning hours Saturday, the 60-year-old noticed that dozens of trees had been cut down -- the fifth such episode of vandalism over the past year in the neighborhood where some residents fear that the trees will spoil their views.

As he drove around hoping to find the vandal, Edwards spotted a 58-year-old Henderson man allegedly cutting a tree near the intersection of Sun City Anthem Drive and Anthem Parkway.

"The average person should call police, but I have been confronting people like that for 35 years," said Edwards, a part-time security officer at McCarran International Airport. "He looked just as old as I did. He had a saw, and I had my 8-iron. I thought the odds were even."

In fact, they apparently favored Edwards because after finding a handsaw concealed in the man's overcoat, Edwards forced him to walk to a nearby fire station, where the man was arrested.

The suspect, Douglas Hoffman, has been charged with a felony in connection with the destruction of 83 trees last weekend, police said.

On Sunday, Henderson Police searched Hoffman's Sun City Anthem home, looking for evidence that could connect him to the cutting down of 500 other trees over the past year, vandalism with a price tag of about $250,000.

Hoffman, described by neighbors as an avid gardener who studied horticulture, could not be reached for comment.

Police would not disclose what they found at Hoffman's home in the 2000 block of Colvin Run Drive. No charges have been filed yet in the earlier tree cuttings, and the investigation is continuing, Henderson Police spokesman Keith Paul said.

Hoffman, whose home includes more bushes, trees and landscaping than some of his neighbors, has denied any wrongdoing, police said. He was released on a $3,000 bond Saturday morning after spending about six hours in the Henderson Detention Center.

For nearly a year, the cutting of the trees has sparked outrage in Sun City Anthem and neighboring communities, where residents will have to foot the hefty bill for replacing the trees. Others are upset about the desert landscape losing the fledging trees, which were up to 12 feet high.

But not everyone was disappointed to see the trees disappear, even though they disapprove of the apparent manner of their disappearance.

Like many of his neighbors of nearly four years, Hoffman has a back yard view of the mountains and the Strip. The Del Webb homes in the corridor sold for up to $650,000.

Sherry Lussier, who lives two doors down from Hoffman, said she and many other homeowners were happy when someone cut the trees along Sun City Anthem Drive on four separate occasions in the last year. Once the flowering plum and oak trees were grown, they would have spoiled the view, she said.

"We paid a lot of money for our lot and why would you want trees planted to block the view?" Lussier said. "A lot of people were happy they were cut down for the purpose of the view, but nobody thought it was right to do that. There are other ways to get around things. To me, that is vandalism."

Lu Friel and Jan Carney, who also live two doors away from Hoffman, said they were shocked to hear of his arrest on a charge of malicious destruction of private property, a felony that carries up to five years in prison and a fine up to $10,000. If convicted, he also could be ordered to pay restitution, which authorities said exceeded $57,000 in the latest cuttings.

The women described Hoffman as a friendly man who had taken college horticulture classes and often gardened in his yard. Hoffman and his wife have a home in Arizona and traveled back and forth between the two, the women said.

The women said they could understand why someone would want to cut trees to protect their views. Homes built across the street already have eliminated some of the lower mountain view, and the trees along the parkway were getting tall enough to also diminish the mountain views, they said.

A few flowering plums along the parkway near Hoffman's home remain standing.

"All of us around here want bushes instead of trees because they won't take away our views," Friel said.

Richard Cancellier, Sun City Anthem Security Council chief, said he and others speculated that the person responsible for tree cuttings lived along Sun City Anthem Drive between Thunder Bay and Hayden Creek because that's where views were most affected and where there have been repeated episodes of vandalism.

Dea McDonald, vice president of land development for Pulte Homes, which acquired Del Webb, stressed that homeowners in the neighborhood are not guaranteed views. Henderson requires that the parkway be landscaped, McDonald said, and trees were chosen because most residents want them.

"If I were to poll residents, that's what a majority would want," McDonald said. "It is a lush oasis in the desert. That is the reason they bought in Anthem."

If Hoffman is convicted, Edwards would be eligible for a $10,000 reward. He said he would accept the reward because he and his wife are supporting his son and daughter-in-law, who lost their jobs.

There is no justification for cutting down trees, even if views are blocked, Edwards said. And residents should not complain, he said.

"Everyone who bought a house here knew they would be looking through trees," Edwards said. "If they didn't think there would be trees, they should have bought somewhere else."

Brian Wargo can be reached at 259-4011 or at wargo@lasvegassun.com.