Kaddis faces additional charges in tree incident
by Lenny Roberts

William Kaddis, the Los Angeles man authorities claim illegally bulldozed 301 oak trees on a 43-acre parcel of land he purchased in March 2001, has been hit with more charges.
Ventura County Deputy District Attorney Karen Wold said Tuesday that additional charges of filing a false police report and maintaining an illegal dog kennel at the Baldwin Road site near Lake Casitas have been filed.
Wold said the false filing report was based upon an allegation Kaddis made in July that he had found an envelope on his property containing a suspicious or threatening letter, which prompted him to call sheriff's deputies.
"He requested that they come out and take a look at it," Wold began. "The letter basically took responsibility for everything that happened on the property; the cutting down of the trees and neighbor's fence, and damaging his bulldozer.
"He talked about it when spoke in front of the Board of Supervisors, and my office has concluded that was a false police report.
Wold added that letter stated that the damage was done "because you're Egyptian and must take responsibility for Sept. 11." It also included a warning to Kaddis, telling him to get out of Ojai.
"I believe that I can prove to a jury, beyond reasonable doubt, that Mr. Kaddis wrote that letter," Wold said.
For more than a year, Kaddis has kept 56 dogs in kennels on the property without a kennel permit - a misdemeanor violation.
Kaddis is already facing eight misdemeanor charges stemming from the removal of the trees including a county non-coastal ordinance prohibiting the felling of protected trees and allegedly altering a stream bed, a Department of Fish and Game violation.
Earlier this year, Kaddis filed a $10 million lawsuit against the county alleging discrimination and unfair treatment by county supervisors.
Kaddis is scheduled to be arraigned Dec. 20.

© 2002 The Ojai Valley News

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