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CNN Live Today

Woman Accused of Starting Colorado Fire Makes Court Appearance

Aired June 17, 2002 - 13:01   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: The woman accused of starting the massive fire near Denver made her first court appearance today. And for now, forestry employee Terry Barton will remain behind bars.

Joining us now from Denver is CNN's Rusty Dornin. She's been covering this all morning.

Hi there Rusty.

RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well Fredricka, of course, this is the U.S. Forest Service employee that not only set the fire, she was the one that originally reported it, claiming that someone else set it.

38 year-old Terry Barton appeared in federal court today. She was dressed in coveralls and a T-shirt. She was very quiet during the court proceedings. A few times the judge even had to ask her to speak up when he would ask her questions.

She was advised of her rights; she was told of the charges. She faces three counts of setting timber afire, destroying U.S. property and making false statements to investigators. Now apparently, on two different occasions she told investigators that she had came upon this campfire that had gone awry on one of her patrols.

Apparently, they saw a lot of inconsistencies in that. And when they faced her with these inconsistencies, she did admit that she set the fire, claiming she did it with a letter from her estranged husband. She was very upset; she threw the fire in a campfire ring, and that's when it spread.

Now she is being detained. Prosecutors say there are some very good reasons to keep her in jail.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN SUTHERS, U.S. ATTORNEY: Because of the seriousness of the charge and the fact that if she was not detained she would return to a community at which there's -- in which there's considerable hostility toward her, which would add to the prospect of her to being a flight risk.

(END VIDEO CLIP) DORNIN: And there is a lot of hostility among Coloradans for what happened. The U.S. Forest Service employee, for 18 years, who was assigned to protect the forest setting it on fire. A lot of people don't have much empathy for her emotional state.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They want to lynch her. They want to string her up and lynch her.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, it's aggravating. Real aggravating to know that somebody from this area, and in that profession.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Somebody made a mistake. Somebody wasn't thinking. Sounds like it was personal papers, it was under a little bit of stress or something and just wasn't thinking.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A lot of angry individuals. You know, it's sick. And especially the fact that she's part of the Forest Service makes it even worse.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DORNIN: Now, she could face up to 20 years in prison and a half million dollar fine. And this is all surrounding a fire that could end up costing $52 million. It's burned 103,000 acres, and still isn't out. Only 47 percent contained.

So it's unclear -- but some very serious charges against this employee -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: So prosecutors, then, have open-and-shut case because she has already admitted to carrying out this act, correct?

DORNIN: She's admitted to it, but she did -- she is being assigned a public defender. She -- you know, she didn't have an attorney when she did make those admissions. So what will happen now is there's a possibility a federal jury will decide whether to indict her, or even add charges; or she could waive those indictments and admit it and plead guilty.

WHITFIELD: OK, Rusty Dornin from Denver, thank you very much.

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