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Denver DA's husband sentenced to jail time for arson charges

Fire allegedly started by Christopher Linsmayer
Posted at 10:09 PM, Oct 14, 2021
and last updated 2021-10-15 00:09:31-04

DENVER — The husband of Denver District Attorney Beth McCann was sentenced to 10 days in jail for setting slash piles on fire and leaving them unattended in Grand County during a fire ban last year.

Christopher Linsmayer, 69, originally faced a dozen counts of felony arson and other misdemeanor counts for setting fires in the Gorewood Subdivision in Grand County near Kremmling, not far from where the East Troublesome Fire was burning.

He took a plea deal in July, pleading guilty to two counts of attempted arson; one count is a felony and the other is a misdemeanor. The 14th Judicial District Attorney’s Office said the felony count was for placing people in danger of injury or death, and the misdemeanor is for putting a building in danger of being damaged.

Linsmayer will also serve two years of probation and 80 hours of community service, according to court records.

Neighbors of Linsmayer’s told Denver7 Investigates previously they didn’t feel safe after discovering the 12 unattended slash piles that firefighters had to hike in and use hand tools, shovels and snow to put them out on Oct. 27, 2020.

McCann had previously said through a spokesperson that she was thankful no property was damaged, and no one was injured in the fires.

RELATED: Where there's smoke: Why does the husband of Denver's DA keep starting fires?

Court records show Linsmayer previously faced two counts of having an open fire without a burn permit in Grand County, stemming from a November 2016 incident. Those charges were dismissed by the district attorney in March 2017, according to records. He was also charged in August 2019 with fourth-degree arson and violating a county ordinance, court records say.

As long as Linsmayer completes his sentence without any violations and without committing any new crimes, his charges would be dismissed. If he violate the terms of his sentence, he would face up to six years in prison, according to the district attorney’s office.