SNOWBIRD — A Sandy man is facing a felony charge after he allegedly tried to kill trees that were blocking his view at Snowbird Ski Resort.
Gabor Koltai, 73, was charged Tuesday in 3rd District Court with criminal mischief, a second-degree felony.
On Nov. 2, an employee at Snowbird Ski Resort saw a backpack being lowered by a rope from a room, followed by a man pouring a substance around a group of trees, according to Unified police.
When questioned by Snowbird security, Koltai said he had requested several times that Snowbird remove the group of trees because it was blocking his view, police stated. Snowbird determined that the substance Kolai had poured was gallons of diesel fuel near the tree roots, according to charging documents.
Unified police determined Koltai poured an estimated 30 gallons of fuel over 10 trees. The damage and cost of cleanup was estimated to be more than $20,000, the charges state.