An influential couple in Maine has caused outrage within their small community and prompted an investigation by the state attorney general after allegedly poisoning trees that obstructed their view of the ocean.

Amelia Bond Allegedly Used Herbicide on Neighbor's Trees, Faces Backlash

According to the Independent, Amelia Bond, the former CEO of the St. Louis Foundation, allegedly applied herbicide to oak trees in front of her neighbor's waterfront property in 2021 without obtaining consent. The St. Louis Foundation manages charitable funds with assets exceeding $500 million.

As per legal documents, Bond extended an offer to share the expenses of removing the dying trees and surrounding vegetation in front of the home, which started happening in June 2022.

The toxic substance was discovered when Lisa Gorman, the neighbor and wife of the late Leon Gorman, former president of US retail giant LL Bean, had the trees tested.

In addition to the damage caused to the trees at the Gorman property, the herbicide, Tebuthiuron, seeped into a nearby park and the town's sole public beach, leading to a legal investigation.

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Amelia Bond, Husband Settle Oak Tree Poisoning Case

In November 2022, the local authorities conducted tests at the site and interviewed Amelia Bond, who confessed to using poison on the land.

During her interview with Maine state investigators, she mentioned that she bought the poison in her home state of Missouri with the intention of applying it to two oak trees she believed were dying.

She as well as her husband, Arthur Bond III, an architect and the nephew of a former US Senator, have paid $4,500 to resolve violations with the Maine Board of Pesticides Control Board, as well as $180,000 to resolve violations with the town.

The couple has incurred a cost of $30,000 for additional environmental testing and has also made a payment of over $1.5 million to Gorman as part of a legal settlement, DailyMail reported.

However, Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey has recently announced an investigation in response to the increasing frustration surrounding the escalating damage in the town of 5,000.

Vicki Doudera, a representative from Camden, expressed her intention to tackle the issue of the Maine Board of Pesticide Control Board's maximum fine of $4,500.

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