EAGLE COUNTY, Colo. – Felony arrest warrants have been issued for two people accused of starting the Lake Christine Fire July 3 at a shooting range near basalt.
Court records confirm the warrants for Richard Karl Miller, 23, and Allison Sarah Marcus, 22, were issued Friday.
Eagle County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Amber Barrett told Denver7 Thursday that the two were issued summons for fourth-degree arson, a class 1 misdemeanor. But she said at the time the two were likely to face more charges.
The new warrants for both carry charges of fourth-degree arson—placing a person in danger, which is a class 4 felony, and firing weapons during a fire ban—a class 6 felony.
Barrett said the El Jebel couple was using a shooting range outside of Basalt that was open at the time, but that they were using tracer rounds and exploding targets—which are banned under the county’s Stage II fire restrictions.
“They weren’t doing it on purpose,” Barrett told Denver7 last week. “They were very upset and sorry, but they did what they did.”
The two were not in custody as of Monday morning, the Eagle County District Attorney's Office told Denver7.
The Lake Christine Fire had burned 5,916 acres as of Monday morning and was 30 percent contained. The fire claimed three homes.
