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Man arrested after setting fire to Toomer's Corner oak tree (Video)

Fans of the Auburn Tigers roll trees at Toomer's Corner after defeating Arkansas. (Getty Images)
Fans of the Auburn Tigers roll trees at Toomer’s Corner after defeating Arkansas. (Getty Images)

A 29-year-old Auburn man is in custody after being accused of setting one of the Toomer’s Corner oak trees on fire following Auburn’s win against LSU.

Footage from the surveillance cameras on the corner show a man walk up to one of the trees and set fire to the toilet paper hanging from it. The trees are rolled with toilet paper following wins. The man then attempts to walk away, but is noticed by others on the site.

Auburn police issued a statement Sunday morning saying the perpetrator was in custody.

“Witnesses at Toomer’s Corner identified a suspect, who was immediately detained and taken into custody by police on an unrelated charge of public intoxication,” the Auburn police statement said. “The suspect is a twenty-nine years old male from Auburn and is not affiliated with Auburn University. He was transported to the Lee County Detention Center, where he is being held on a $500 bond. (Auburn University) officials are evaluating the damage to the Toomer Oak tree and the case remains under investigation by Auburn Police. Addition(al) charges are anticipated.”

The tree is new as of 2015 and this is the first year fans have been allowed to roll the new trees. The previous Toomer’s oaks were poisoned in 2011 and had to be removed. Auburn University spokesman said professor of horticulture Gary Keever inspected the tree Sunday morning but didn’t know the extent of the damage, according to AL.com.

“Gary Keever inspected the tree from the ground Sunday morning and did see some defoliation on one side,” Auburn University spokesman Mike Clardy told AL.com. “We will get a lift up into the canopy as early as Monday to get a better look. We may not know for weeks the extent of the damage, depending on how the tree responds.”

For more Auburn news, visit AuburnSports.com.

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Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter!