Man who poisoned Auburn trees gets three years
Harvey Updyke Jr. was sentenced to three years in jail on Friday in Wetumpka, Ala., after pleading guilty to a charge of criminal damage of an agricultural facility related to the poisoning of the Toomer's Oaks on the Auburn campus in 2010, AL.com reported.
Updyke was sentenced after changing his plea from not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect to guilty as part of a plea agreement.
The sentence requires Updyke to serve at least six months in jail, then spend five years after his release on supervised probation. He has been credited with 104 days already served.
The sentencing ends a case that began more than two years ago, after it was reported that the oaks at the corner of the Auburn University campus had been poisoned.
The university plans to cut down the trees on April 23.
Updyke's attorney Andrew Stanley said his client apologized to the court, his family and the state of Alabama for the poisoning of the trees.
Updyke cannot attend any collegiate sports event, has a 7 p.m. curfew, cannot talk with the media, and is banned from any Auburn property.
