Lot Owner Accused in Felling of 27 Oaks
Two men were charged Friday with unlawfully chopping down 27 oak trees on a vacant lot in Thousand Oaks last month.
It is the most serious such case since the city enacted an oak tree protection ordinance 15 years ago, Thousand Oaks officials said.
Houshang Beroukhim of Beverly Hills, the owner of the lot, was charged with 27 misdemeanor counts of destroying oak trees without a city permit, City Atty. Mark Sellers said.
Edward Lassak, who Sellers said selected the trees to be cut and directed workers at the site, was charged with 27 counts of aiding and abetting in the unlawful tree felling.
A conviction on each charge is punishable by a $500 fine and six months in jail. An arraignment is scheduled for Dec. 31 in Simi Valley Municipal Court. The charges were filed in Ventura Municipal Court.
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