Nantucket tree-cutting neighbor row hit with criminal charges
The charges came after he allegedly removed over 16 trees belonging to longtime homeowners Patricia and Richard Belford, as reported by the Boston Globe. The property feud erupted on the wealthy Massachusetts island after Jacoby allegedly chopped down 50-year-old trees to carve out an 'ocean view' for himself.
When the trees were slashed, Matt Erisman, the property manager of Belford's $4.2 million home, notified the Nantucket Police Department (NPD), prompting an investigation. 'It was just a disgusting scene,' Erisman, 40, told the outlet. 'Even outside of my professional work, I've never seen a neighbor act like that and just deceive their neighbor like he did.'
Belford herself does not live at the property, located at 1 Tautemo Way, but in an assisted living facility, according to the Nantucket Current. Jacoby's former landscaper, Krasimir Kirilov, voluntarily told investigators Jacoby was responsible. Belford, who is suing on behalf of her family's trust, claimed losing the trees has caused emotional distress In a police statement submitted as lawsuit evidence, Kirilov said Jacoby reached out to him for help cleaning up landscaping work he was going to do on his own.
Once he realized the work was not on Jacoby's property, Kirilov refused the offer. 'The NPD concluded that Jacoby entered the property knowingly and willfully and cut the trees for his own personal benefit,' the lawsuit reads about the ongoing investigation. Nantucket Police Lieutenant Angus MacVicar told the Nantucket Current there are pending charges against Jacoby.
Belford argued the trees added not only privacy, but value to her home - with a nursey estimating they each could cost thousands of dollars.
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