SEATTLE (AP) – The 25-hour saga of a man who refused to come down from a giant sequoia tree in downtown Seattle was “an incalculable waste of time and services,” authorities said.
Cody Lee Miller was formally charged Monday with malicious mischief and assault after he climbed to the top of the 90-foot tree on March 22 and remained there for about 25 hours, ignoring police efforts to coax him down and throwing apples and branches at responders.
The drama sparked intense interest on social media, with new Twitter accounts and the hashtag #ManInTree trending.
About $8,000 in damage was done to the tree, court documents say. If Miller makes his $50,000 bail, he is ordered to have no contact with the tree.
Miller’s mother, Lisa Gossett of Wasilla, Alaska, told The Seattle Times (http://is.gd/Foxhom ) that the family has tried numerous times to get him help for mental illness but was told there was nothing anyone could do unless he posed a danger to himself or others.