The Region - News from March 30, 1986

A developer and a man hired to clear his land were served with identical 563-count citations for destroying 563 protected Joshua trees in Yucca Valley, 100 miles east of Los Angeles, officials said. Under the citations, developer Raymond White and Raymond Thayer, both of Yucca Valley, could be fined up to $28,150 each for destroying the trees, said Glenn Scott, county environmental enforcement officer. They are scheduled to be arraigned April 15 at the Joshua Tree Municipal Court. White hired Thayer to clear a road and boundaries on 60 acres of land he owns south of California 62. The Joshua trees were dug up and bulldozed into piles earlier this month.