MIDCOAST VILLAGER • February 17, 2026
A state board is scheduled to vote Feb. 27 on a consent agreement with Stephen Antonson of Brooklyn, New York, who is accused of poisoning his nonagenarian neighbor’s trees to improve his view of the harbor. The 2022 poisoning involved five to six trees on property at 11 Mechanic St. owned by Ruth Graham, who died in February 2024 at the age of 95. The two homes sit close together, perched above the east side of Rockport Harbor. A Maine Forest Service entomologist noticed declining tree health, large drill holes and curling leaves at the Graham property. Pesticides Control Board representatives conducted an inspection and collected samples of a liquid present in the bore holes of the affected trees. The samples were positive for Imazapic and Triclopyr, common herbicides.