{"id":2445915,"date":"2019-07-02T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-07-02T06:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/?p=308747"},"modified":"2019-07-02T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2019-07-02T06:00:00","slug":"victims-recall-toll-of-lake-christine-fire-call-for-penalty-to-fit-the-crime","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/local-news\/victims-recall-toll-of-lake-christine-fire-call-for-penalty-to-fit-the-crime\/","title":{"rendered":"Victims recall toll of Lake Christine Fire, call for penalty to fit the crime"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"swift-gallery p402_hide\" readability=\"6.8297474275023\">\n<ul id=\"imageGallery-308747-360\" class=\"gallery list-unstyled\">\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/07\/firesentencing-atd-070219-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/07\/firesentencing-atd-070219.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Chris Dillmann | cdillmann@vaildaily.com | Andee McCauley, center, who lost her home in the Lake Christine Fire, gets comfort from friend Jocelyn Terry during a sentencing hearing Monday. Bill McCauley is on the right.\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"0.5\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"12\">\n<p><strong>Andee McCauley, center, who lost her home in the Lake Christine Fire, gets comfort from friend Jocelyn Terry during a sentencing hearing Monday. Bill McCauley is on the right.<\/strong><br \/>Chris Dillmann | cdillmann@vaildaily.com<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/07\/firesentencing-atd-070219.jpg\" alt=\"Andee McCauley, center, who lost her home in the Lake Christine Fire, gets comfort from friend Jocelyn Terry during a sentencing hearing Monday. Bill McCauley is on the right.\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/07\/firesentencing-atd-070219-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/07\/firesentencing-atd-070219-1.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Chris Dillmann | cdillmann@vaildaily.com | Richard Miller gathers his composure before speaking at his sentencing hearing on Monday.\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-1.5\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"8\">\n<p><strong>Richard Miller gathers his composure before speaking at his sentencing hearing on Monday.<\/strong><br \/>Chris Dillmann | cdillmann@vaildaily.com<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/07\/firesentencing-atd-070219-1.jpg\" alt=\"Richard Miller gathers his composure before speaking at his sentencing hearing on Monday.\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/07\/firesentencing-atd-070219-2-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/07\/firesentencing-atd-070219-2.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Chris Dillmann | cdillmann@vaildaily.com | Allison Marcus listens during her sentencing hearingin the Lake Christine Fire case on Monday.\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-1.5\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"8\">\n<p><strong>Allison Marcus listens during her sentencing hearingin the Lake Christine Fire case on Monday.<\/strong><br \/>Chris Dillmann | cdillmann@vaildaily.com<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/07\/firesentencing-atd-070219-2.jpg\" alt=\"Allison Marcus listens during her sentencing hearingin the Lake Christine Fire case on Monday.\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/07\/firesentencing-atd-070219-3-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/07\/firesentencing-atd-070219-3.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Chris Dillmann | cdillmann@vaildaily.com | Victims of the Lake Christine Fire share a box of tissue during the sentencing hearing on Monday.\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-1.5\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"8\">\n<p><strong>Victims of the Lake Christine Fire share a box of tissue during the sentencing hearing on Monday.<\/strong><br \/>Chris Dillmann | cdillmann@vaildaily.com<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/07\/firesentencing-atd-070219-3.jpg\" alt=\"Victims of the Lake Christine Fire share a box of tissue during the sentencing hearing on Monday.\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/07\/firesentencing-atd-070219-4-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/07\/firesentencing-atd-070219-4.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Chris Dillmann | cdillmann@vaildaily.com | Bill McCauley comforts his wife, Andee, while she reads a statement Monday at a sentencing hearing for the defendants in the Lake Christine Fire case.\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-0.5\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"10\">\n<p><strong>Bill McCauley comforts his wife, Andee, while she reads a statement Monday at a sentencing hearing for the defendants in the Lake Christine Fire case.<\/strong><br \/>Chris Dillmann | cdillmann@vaildaily.com<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/07\/firesentencing-atd-070219-4.jpg\" alt=\"Bill McCauley comforts his wife, Andee, while she reads a statement Monday at a sentencing hearing for the defendants in the Lake Christine Fire case.\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/07\/firesentencing-atd-070219-5-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/07\/firesentencing-atd-070219-5.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Chris Dillmann | cdillmann@vaildaily.com | Griselda Sanchez cries during victim testimony during the sentencing of Allison Marcus and Richard Miller in Eagle County Court Monday. Sanchez and her family lost the house they rented.\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-1\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"9\">\n<p><strong>Griselda Sanchez cries during victim testimony during the sentencing of Allison Marcus and Richard Miller in Eagle County Court Monday. Sanchez and her family lost the house they rented.<\/strong><br \/>Chris Dillmann | cdillmann@vaildaily.com<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/07\/firesentencing-atd-070219-5.jpg\" alt=\"Griselda Sanchez cries during victim testimony during the sentencing of Allison Marcus and Richard Miller in Eagle County Court Monday. Sanchez and her family lost the house they rented.\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"caption-toggle\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/victims-recall-toll-of-lake-christine-fire-call-for-penalty-to-fit-the-crime\/#\" class=\"show-captions\">Show Captions<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/victims-recall-toll-of-lake-christine-fire-call-for-penalty-to-fit-the-crime\/#\" class=\"hide-captions\">Hide Captions<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText DropCap\">The direct victims of the Lake Christine Fire finally had their say in court Monday and they delivered stirring testimony about how the blaze shattered their lives and the penalty that should be paid.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The three couples who lost homes in the fire spoke at a sentencing hearing for Allison Marcus and Richard Miller, the pair convicted of starting the blaze. Also speaking was Tom Dunlop, a heavy-equipment operator who was nearly killed during the firefighting effort.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cThe Lake Christine Fire took my home and my security with a hellish vengeance,\u201d said Andee McCauley, who lost her longtime home. \u201cThe total loss of my beloved home with all its memories and personal treasurers has taken quite the emotional and physical toll.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cOne cannot underestimate the sheer terror \u2014 the sheer terror \u2014 of evacuation,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote p402_hide\" readability=\"2\">\n<blockquote readability=\"7\">\n<p>\u201cThe Lake Christine Fire took my home and my security with a hellish vengeance.\u201d \u2014 Andee McCauley, fire survivor<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The home of Andee and her husband, Bill, was a total loss.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cSoot, ashes and tears is all I have,\u201d McCauley continued. She has experienced shock, hopelessness, depression and anger \u2014 \u201clots of anger.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cI want to hear something that makes me feel like they actually care about what they\u2019ve done to destroy my life,\u201d McCauley said of the defendants. \u201cI can\u2019t let go and I don\u2019t want to. I want to remember this for the rest of my life.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Kara Williams spoke specifically about what she wanted to see as part of the sentence for Marcus and Miller. Williams and her husband, Quent, experienced extensive smoke damage to their Missouri Heights home and devastation to the surrounding hillside. They had to leave their house for 23 days for restoration and live like \u201crefugees,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">A rental home they owned adjacent to El Jebel Mobile Home Park was destroyed.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cThe summer of 2018 was the lost summer, because instead of relaxing with my teenage daughter who moved out of the house to go to college in mid-August, we spent it dealing with insurance agents,\u201d Williams said. \u201cInstead of hosting friends for outdoor patio dinners, with the air too smoky and land too smelly, like a wet cigar, we spent it in our closed-up house, to avoid letting smoky air and soot back in.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">She told Eagle County District Court Judge Paul Dunkelman it was a lost summer for thousands of people and she wanted to provide them with a voice.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cI am able to stand before you today able to tell my story because I\u2019m a victim \u2014 I lost a house in the Lake Christine Fire,\u201d Williams said. \u201cBut you can multiply my story by thousands. The defendants here in this room today started a fire that traumatized so many local residents in so many different ways. The Williamses, the McCauleys, the Martinezes \u2026 we are hardly the only victims in the Lake Christine Fire. Many others similarly suffered.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">She urged Judge Dunkelman to keep the big picture in mind when handing down the sentence.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">In a plea bargain negotiated in May by the 5th Judicial District Attorney\u2019s Office and the attorneys for the defendants, it was agreed Marcus and Miller would spend 45 days in jail, serve 1,500 hours of useful public service, pay $100,000 each in restitution and serve five years of probation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cIs the proposed 45-day jail sentence and hundred thousand dollars in restitution fair for the crimes they committed?\u201d Williams asked. \u201cHonestly, that\u2019s a hard question for me to answer. I do appreciate that these specific punishments represent, in part, some of the suffering my family has endured. When they go to jail, they\u2019ll be forced from their homes like we were.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The restitution is \u201cpaltry\u201d compared with the firefighting cost of more than $20 million, but Williams said she could appreciate that they will hand over a portion of their future paychecks.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The community service is the most appropriate, she said. They will spend the equivalent of 38 weeks at 40 hours per week to serve the sentence. She stressed that the community service must fit the crime.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cI believe strongly their community service should be spent helping conservancy or forest officials: reseeding land ravaged by fire, or clearing fallen trees from recreation trails, or otherwise doing anything in their power to help restore the land they destroyed,\u201d Williams said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Secondary duties should include picking up trash or otherwise beautifying the midvalley, she said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Kerry and Cleve Williams had another compelling story because Cleve is a deputy fire chief for Roaring Fork Fire Rescue who led a team that tried to save his neighborhood. They couldn\u2019t save his house but saved the surrounding homes.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Insurance covered the loss, although they spent numerous hours working on the insurance claim. Kerry said she took a multiple-week leave of absence from her job as a sixth-grade teacher to handle insurance work and provide emotional support for her family. Their 17-year-old son Cole appeared in court with them. A daughter is away in college.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">While insurance covers the loss in a general way, Kerry made it clear their losses will never be replaced.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cEvery item of convenience such as an ice scraper, raincoats, winter boots \u2014 gone,\u201d she said. \u201cEvery hobby-related item \u2014 gone. Favorite cooking utensils, ice cream bowls, coffee mugs \u2014 gone.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cEvery keepsake or memento from relatives no longer living like letters from my grandma, recipes in my mom\u2019s handwriting, or hand-crocheted baby blankets from my aunt \u2014 gone,\u201d she continued.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The long list of lost treasures included Cleve\u2019s awards from serving with the fire department for nearly 29 years.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">When the Lake Christine Fire raked across lower slopes of Basalt Mountain toward El Jebel and Missouri Heights on July 4, 2018, Kerry Williams revealed what she was thinking when her family was forced to evacuate while Cleve was firefighting.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cThe last thing I did before leaving my house was to pray that no one would get hurt while trying to save our house and that my husband wouldn\u2019t stay too long and put himself in danger,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">With the help of friends, family and supporters, they got through the hard times, she said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Cleve Williams said he found it hard to believe, as the attorneys for the defendants suggested, that they were unaware of fire restrictions that applied to the shooting range in the hot, dry summer of 2018. Colorado was tinderbox dry and warnings were posted everywhere about fire danger, he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Kerry Williams suggested Marcus and Miller should do community service that aids victims of natural and human caused disasters.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Marcus, 23, and Miller, 24, spoke for the first time in brief statements to the court.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cI wish that day would have never happened,\u201d Marcus said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">She said she didn\u2019t realize the rifle was loaded with tracer ammunition. She expressed sorrow for the incident and gratefulness for the firefighters\u2019 efforts.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">When addressing the court, Miller took a couple of minutes to gain his composure before saying, \u201cI would like to talk about what happened on July 3 last year.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">He said he also had \u201cno idea\u201d that there were tracer rounds provided with the rifle and that Marcus was also unaware. She was at the rifle range while he was at the shotgun range. She contacted him when the fire broke out and he directed her to call 911.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cI immediately did everything I could to put the fire out myself,\u201d Miller said, breaking into tears. \u201cI wish there was more I could have done. But it happened.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">He concluded by saying, \u201cI am sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Dunkelman said he felt the negotiated sentence was appropriate.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cUltimately I believe it\u2019s a fair and just sentence,\u201d Dunkelman said. \u201cThis sentence checks off everything we look for.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The checklist includes punishment, deterrence, rehabilitation and accountability. Dunkelman said he realizes some people won\u2019t feel the jail sentence was long enough, but he noted Marcus and Miller are in their early 20s and haven\u2019t been in trouble with the law before.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cWhen that cell closes on you, it\u2019s a scary moment,\u201d Dunkelman said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">He was sympathetic to the calls for relevant community service.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cThis is the harsh part of it, this is reality \u2014 the pain that you caused is very real,\u201d Dunkelman told the defendants. \u201cDecisions have consequences and poor decisions have huge consequences.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">On the other hand, he said they have no prior criminal history. He said he believes they were sincere about their remorse and determination to make it up to the community.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cThe other thing is you didn\u2019t run from this,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was too big to run from. But you stayed here, you stayed in this community. That took courage. The easy thing would have been to say I\u2019m going back to somewhere else.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">He said it is appropriate that the community service be \u201crelated in some form to this fire.\u201d The probation office will work out the details, he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cReally what I\u2019m saying is it\u2019s not going to be going to the animal shelter,\u201d Dunkelman said. \u201cThose are good things to do but they\u2019re not what we\u2019re going to do in this case.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText Tagline\"><a href=\"mailto:scondon@aspentimes.com\">scondon@aspentimes.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/victims-recall-toll-of-lake-christine-fire-call-for-penalty-to-fit-the-crime\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">via:: The Aspen Times<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Andee McCauley, center, who lost her home in the Lake Christine Fire, gets comfort from friend Jocelyn Terry during a sentencing hearing Monday. Bill McCauley is on the right.Chris Dillmann | cdillmann@vaildaily.com Richard Miller gathers his composure before speaking at his sentencing hearing on Monday.Chris Dillmann | cdillmann@vaildaily.com Allison Marcus listens during her sentencing hearingin [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-2445915","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-local-news"},"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-06-20 17:18:04","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSPN The Valley&#039;s Quality Rock","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2445915","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2445915"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2445915\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2445915"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2445915"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2445915"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}