Woman charged with burning 'The Senator' says she did it 'to use illegal drugs'

Woman charged with burning 'The Senator' says she did it 'to use illegal drugs'
By Susan Jacobson, Orlando Sentinel
11:16 p.m. EST, February 28, 2012

A woman on Tuesday was charged with setting a fire that burned The Senator, one of the world's oldest cypress trees -- and she told authorities she did it because she was wanted light to see the drugs she was doing, investigators said.

Two witnesses identified Sara Barnes, 26, as the person who set the fire, authorities said.

Barnes took photos of the flames with her cellphone and told one of the witnesses that she started it, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services said.

"She did not call the Fire Department or 911 to report the fire," said Sterling Ivey, an agriculture-department spokesman.

The tree, which had twigs and branches piled at the base, burned quickly.
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