Hayman Fire Starter Gets 15 Years Probation
DENVER (MyFOXColorado.com) – The former U.S. Forest Service worker who started the most-destructive wildfire in Colorado history has been ordered to serve 15 years of probation and perform 1,500 hours of community service on state charges.
Terry Barton, who started the 2002 Hayman Fire, was resentenced Thursday in District Court.
Her original 12-year prison sentence was thrown out by the Colorado Court of Appeals in 2004 after the panel ruled the judge who presided over Barton’s trial may have compromised due to the fact that he was evacuated during the fire.
The court also said that the maximum sentence without a jury finding aggravating circumstances was six years – the same as Barton’s federal sentence.
The two sentences were to be served concurrently, which means Barton will have completed her prison terms on June 2. She is currently incarcerated in Texas.
The 2002 Hayman fire burned 138,000 acres in the Pike National Forest, destroying 133 home and 466 outbuildings. More than 8,000 people were evacuated.
Barton pleaded guilty to felony arson. … [more]