SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla.,None — The woman accused of burning down a historic tree in Seminole County has bonded out of jail.
WFTV was the only media outlet at the scene when investigators arrested Sara Barnes. They say she burned down the Senator cypress in Longwood in January.
Her arrest stemmed from a Crimeline tip, and there could be another arrest on the way.
Big Tree Park remains closed because of the fire, but according to a tipster, there was a second person inside the Senator when it was set ablaze. That person has not been identified or charged yet.
- Raw Video: Woman arrested on arson charges
- Slideshow: Senator tree catches fire, collapses
- Slideshow: The Senator two weeks before it burned
Barnes was scheduled for her first court appearance Wednesday afternoon, but she bonded out before seeing a judge. Her bail was just under $6,000.
Barnes wouldn't answer her door Wednesday, and the 26-year-old didn't have anything to say Tuesday while being escorted to jail.
The Senator was 118 feet tall and 3,500 years old. According to police, Barnes said she lit the inside of the tree because she needed light to see the methamphetamine she was using.
Detectives believe she might have gotten away with it if not for several tipsters.
"Every now and then we'll take a tip where we solve the theft of plants, but something as monumental as that tree being burnt down, it's pretty significant," said Detective Barbara Bergin, Crimeline's executive director.
Bergin said the anonymous tips came in the day after the blaze. She said they mentioned Barnes took pictures of the fire with her cellphone and boasted, saying, "I can't believe I burned down a tree older than Jesus."
"This is one that shows again, someone goes out, does something they weren't supposed to do, and people anonymously bring us the information," Bergin said.
It was information that led to Barnes' arrest. WFTV's cameras not only caught Barnes in cuffs, but also investigators confiscating her cellphone and computer. They also said they found meth and drug paraphernalia in her apartment.
The tipsters are entitled to a reward of up to $1,000 for providing police with info that led to Barnes' arrest. How much they actually get will be up to Crimeline's board to decide.
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