Woman Torched Ancient Cypress to Better See Drugs

When we last visited the sad tale of "the Senator," arson had been ruled out as the source of the fire that felled the famously ancient cypress tree. Now, a pathetic and unfortunate cause emerges: Sara Barnes, 26, was charged yesterday with setting the fire that burned the 3,500-year-old tree, and the Orlando Sentinel reports that she told police she did so in order to better see the drugs she was about to take.

Police say two witnesses identified Barnes; she apparently told one of them she started the blaze, and reportedly took photos of it using her cellphone. "She did not call the Fire Department or 911 to report the fire," noted an agriculture department rep. A search of Barnes' apartment yesterday turned up her cellphone, along with meth and a glass pipe. The Sentinel notes that the county plans on putting in $30,000 worth of fencing at Big Tree Park to protect the Senator's remains, along with Lady Liberty, a 2,000-year-old cypress. (More cypress tree stories.)