Nantucket Man Sued by Neighbor for Cutting Trees Now Faces Criminal Charges

A Massachusetts homeowner at the center of a lawsuit with his neighbor now faces criminal charges.

Jonathan Jacoby, 56, is being charged with vandalizing property (felony), cutting/destroying trees (misdemeanor), and trespassing (misdemeanor), according to court documents obtained by Realtor.com®.

“The town police department has taken this matter extremely seriously, which is interesting and encouraging,” Patricia Belford‘s attorney, Glenn Wood, told Realtor.com. “I would say that we welcome the town police department’s engagement.”

Belford is suing Jacoby, claiming the Nantucket homeowner cut down longstanding greenery that grew on her property right next door. Belford claims that Jacoby unlawfully entered her property at 1 Tautemo Way, between Feb. 22 and March 2 to cut down 50-year-old trees, according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit alleges that Jacoby had ulterior motives for destroying the old trees. Belford believes her neighbor took drastic measures so he could more easily sell his Nantucket home, located at 3 Tautemo Way, which boasted in the listing description as having “sweeping ocean views.”

The criminal charges against Jacoby come four weeks after Wood’s client filed the lawsuit against him.

Property war

The property, 1 Tautemo Way, at the center of the lawsuit, is right next door to Jacoby’s.

After allegedly chopping down his neighbor’s precious trees, Jacoby listed his property for sale for $9,975,000.

But as of July 22, the listing was taken down. Realtor.com called a Nantucket real estate firm who said the listing was removed because of the press, and the photos have been replaced.

Photos of the listing, when it was on the market, showed Jacoby’s massive Nantucket home, complete with a pristine outdoor pool and expansive backyard. One image from the live listing depicted the view from Jacoby’s rooftop, which overlooked the Massachusetts neighborhood and a nearby pond. The home, built in 1995, was pictured with stunning “oceanfront views” that the lawsuit specifically alleges Jacoby was after.

“The Defendant’s actions were calculated to enhance the ocean view from his own residence at 3 Tautemo Way and were carried out with full knowledge that he lacked any legal right to do so,” the lawsuit states.

As of July 22, the listing includes dated photos of the property with no description of the home.

Realtor.com reached out to Jacoby for comment and has not heard back, but he denied the trespassing charges.

“I wasn’t trespassing, I was clearing out her crappy trees,” he said in a statement to the Boston Globe.

“If you’re on someone’s property without their consent, it’s a trespass,” Wood explains. “Just because he thinks or is suggesting that he’s doing them a favor, if he has no permission to be on someone’s property, it’s still a trespass. So it’s an utterly bogus statement. Legally.”

Wood’s client is seeking $1.4 million in damages, claiming that the trees Jacoby destroyed acted as a natural buffer between the Belford property and a nearby body of water. The greenery, which had been around for decades, also provided the residents with privacy and shade.

“The trees at issue were planted by the Belford family in the 1970s and maintained for nearly five decades. Their removal was not only a violation of the Plaintiff’s property rights, but also caused lasting damage to the character, value, and privacy of the property,” the suit continued.

Jacoby is due for arraignment on Sept. 15, according to the Nantucket Current.