Editing Hayman Fire (section)

== Criminal prosecutions ==
A forestry technician with the U.S. Forest Service, Terry Barton, set the fire in a campfire ring during a total burn ban triggered by a [[National Weather Service]] [[red flag warning]]. Barton's claim that she was attempting to burn a letter from her estranged husband was disputed by one of her teenage daughters who testified that a psychology teacher had told Ms. Barton to write her feelings in a letter and burn it.<ref>{{cite news
  | title = Added Term In Forest Fire 
  | newspaper = New York Times
  | date= 2003-06-03
  | url = https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A0CE4D7123FF935A35750C0A9659C8B63&n=Top%2fReference%2fTimes%20Topics%2fOrganizations%2fF%2fForest%20Service
  | access-date = 2007-05-21
| first=Mindy
| last=Sink}}
</ref> The fire quickly spread out of the campfire ring and eventually torched over {{convert|138000|acre|km2}} and burned across four different counties. A federal grand jury indicted Barton on four felony counts of arson.<ref name="cnn">{{cite news
 |title       = Forest worker indicted for starting wildfire
 |publisher   = CNN.com
 |date        = 2002-06-19
 |url         = http://archives.cnn.com/2002/LAW/06/19/colorado.fire.suspect/
 |access-date  = 2006-11-03
 |url-status     = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20061222162146/http://archives.cnn.com/2002/LAW/06/19/colorado.fire.suspect/
 |archive-date = 2006-12-22
}}
</ref>

Barton pleaded guilty to two charges: setting fire to federal forest land and lying to investigators<ref>[http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/1823532/detail.html "Barton Pleads Guilty In Hayman Fire Case"], TheDenverChannel.com, December 7, 2002. Accessed May 20, 2007</ref> and was given a six-year sentence in federal prison. U.S. District Judge [[Richard Paul Matsch|Richard Matsch]] refused, however, to impose the $14 million restitution asked for by prosecutors, saying he would not sentence her to a "life of poverty." Additionally, the State of Colorado sentenced Barton to 12 years in prison to run concurrently with the 6-year federal sentence. The state sentence was overturned on appeal, however, on grounds that the presiding judge had "the appearance of prejudice" because smoke from the fire had motivated him to voluntarily leave his home for one night.<ref>{{ cite web 
  | title = Prison Sentence Tossed Out For Hayman Firestarter
  | publisher = TheDenverChannel.com
  | date = 2004-12-16
  | url = http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/4002521/detail.html
  | access-date = 2004-12-16 }}
</ref> In March 2008, Barton was re-sentenced by a different judge to 15 years of probation and 1,000 hours of community service.<ref>{{ cite web 
  | title = Hayman fire starter won't serve state jail time
  | publisher = The Denver Post
  | date = 2008-03-27
  | url = http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_8716909
  | access-date = 2008-03-27 }}
</ref>

Several insurance companies filed a $7 million suit against the government in the fall of 2008, claiming that Barton was negligent in her duties.  In November, Judge [[Wiley Daniel]] ruled that the government was not responsible for Barton's actions because she was acting as an angry spouse and not as a government worker.<ref>{{cite web
  | title = Feds not liable in Hayman fire
  | last = Carmona
  | first = Felicia
  | publisher = The Denver Post
  | date = 2008-11-26
  | url = http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_11074427}}
</ref>

In August 2018, Barton's sentence was extended another 15 years in the form of unsupervised probation (the unsupervised probation was ordered to save legal fees that would then be redirected towards restitution). Judge William Brian ordered that Barton continue to make payments toward the $14.5 million in restitution she owed as of the 2018 re-sentencing. The judge also ordered that Barton get a full-time job.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://koaa.com/news/2018/08/15/sentence-extended-for-woman-who-started-hayman-fire/|title=Sentence extended for woman who started Hayman Fire|date=2018-08-16|website=KOAA.com|language=en-US|access-date=2018-12-09}}</ref>