Posted on 06/02/2008 10:08:37 AM PDT by george76
Terry Lynn Barton has been released from prison after serving a six-year term for starting the worst wildfire in Colorado's recorded history.
Barton, 44, pleaded guilty to arson charges stemming from the 2002 Hayman Fire, which blackened 138,000 acres, destroyed 133 homes and forced more than 8,000 people to evacuate.
She was a fire spotter for the U.S. Forest Service at the time
(Excerpt) Read more at denverpost.com ...
Do you think the six years in prison served by Terry Barton, the person who started Colorado’s worst wildfire, is the right length of time?
Not long enough ... 59.06 %
Don’t know ... 18.60 %
Too long ... 12.55 %
Don’t care ... 9.767 %
6 years = 138,000 acres, destroyed 133 homes.
That’s not justice, IMO.
Hell hath no fury etc.
Too short a sentence...set an example for the other jobsworths working for Uncle Sam in any capacity.
I can’t believe that fire was 6 years ago. Seems much more recent.
Because of legal technicalities, the woman who started Colorado’s worst forest fire will not serve time in state prison after she finishes a federal sentence.
http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_8722795
Actually, I think it’s OK. The woman was obviously a little on the flaky side and started the fire by burning her ex-husband’s “Dear Jane” letters even though she knew there was a high fire danger. She was grossly negligent and then she tried to cover it up.
She didn’t intend the result, so I think we’re talking about the difference between manslaughter and homicide. There’s a difference between somebody who flips a cigarette butt or even burns their ex’s letters and somebody who sets out to torch a town.
She’s never going to earn a dime, because if you will read the article, she’s going to be paying millions of dollars of restitution (which she can’t, of course, but her wages at whatever job she gets will still be garnished). Her life is ruined, and there’s really not much more anybody could do to her. Keeping her in jail is pointless because then the State of Colorado has to pay for her.
Agreed, I remember following it and it doesn’t seem like 6 years ago.
Why do so many FReepers always advocate for more and more punishments for every possible infraction? 6 years is a big chunk of one’s life to lose. Or shall we soon start handing out 30 years for spanking your own children?
There is a difference between spanking a child and burning down 133 homes.
6 years is a big chunk of one’s life to lose.
It took her innocent victims probably a couple of years apiece to get their lives back together after losing their homes. If they can collectively spare a couple of hundred years to undo the damage she caused, she can spare 20.
BUMP!
She burned 138,000 acres, destroyed 133 homes, polluted the water supply, the air quality ...and could have killed people.
I agree with you. She served her time. Her restitution order means she’ll never get ahead financially. She’s wrecked her family life. She’s radioactive in terms of employment. Nothing will undo what she did, but she’s paying a heavy price for a very stupid act.
Many people lost their homes and livehood.
Lacking enough insurance and light on cash, many working people’s homes have still not been re-built.
There is also a huge difference between intended and unintended consequences.
Lets face it you don’t accidentally rape someone, but had she.. she’d have been out before now.
I think 6 years for stupidity is probably fair enough justice.
Not to mention that she started the fire for the most frivolous and careless of reasons and she was SUPPOSED to be preventing fires in the first place.
We can’t outlaw stupidity and vanity unfortunately.
Not “been rebuilt” by whom? She’s not able to rebuild these homes anyway, and keeping her in jail is just going to take more money away from Colorado.
Without wanting to sound too cruel, people - even “working people,” in your words, although whether you admit it or not, even executives and CEOs are working - should get insurance or otherwise should be self-insured and be able to rebuild on their own. If you want the state of Colorado to pay for your rebuilding, then go and ask the governor to do this. That comes off everybody else’s tax dollars, including those of the very people who are having their houses rebuilt.
Things happen. Supposing a lightning strike had started this fire? Who are you going to collect from then?
No doubt written by someone who wasn't affected by the act of this moron.
Keeping her in jail is pointless because then the State of Colorado has to pay for her.
Every time it rains up there we continue to pay for what that psycho did.
People did die as a result of her actions. One lady died of an acute asthma attack directly related to the smoke. There was also a five-man fire crew that died in a wreck on their way to support the fire.
to support the fire = to support the fire-fighting operations.
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