BATON ROUGE – Five teens have been arrested after they destroyed nearly $6,000 worth of Christmas trees.
The teens have admitted to going “tree tackling” at the Shady Pond Tree Farm in Pearl River, according to the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry.
“We received a complaint from the tree farm owner that damage was done to his property over the Labor Day weekend,” Commissioner Mike Strain said. “Our investigators coordinated with the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office to find those responsible.”
Approximately 10 trees were destroyed on September 4, and an additional 53 were damaged on September 24, according to the Department of Agriculture and Forestry.
Two 16-year-old boys and three 17-year-old boys all face felony criminal damage, misdemeanor criminal damage, and criminal trespassing charges.
The 17-year-olds also face charges related to contributing to the the delinquency of a minor.
The teens told investigators that they were bored and under the influence of marijuana when one of them decided it would be fun to wrestle the trees.
