2 Men Charged With Cutting Down Tree, Causing Deaths Of 5 Protected Baby Birds

NEWPORT BEACH (CBSLA.com) — Two men were charged Thursday with cutting down a tree in Newport Beach, causing the deaths of five protected species birds.

Stephen John Esser, 47, of Dana Point and David Roger Stanley, 40, of Downey face up to 18 months in jail if convicted of misdemeanor charges of animal cruelty, unlawful possession and destruction of bird nests/eggs, unlawful taking of migratory nongame birds and harassing a bird or mammal.

Prosecutors say Esser and Stanley, who were working for Tim Greenleaf Engineering at the time, ignored the pleas of neighbors about migratory birds nests and chopped down a ficus tree May 28.

There were about eight to nine nests of snowy egrets and black-crowned night herons in the tree and about a dozen nestlings tumbled out of the tree, prosecutors said. Five of the newborn birds died.

Seven baby birds were rescued by neighbors and taken to the Westlands and Wildlife Center in Huntington Beach, where they were nursed back to health after six weeks.

Esser and Stanley are scheduled to be arraigned Aug. 28.

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