Woman who burned down historic tree while smoking meth arrested again

Sara Barnes faces drug trafficking charge

Sara Barnes and The Senator fire.

SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – The Florida woman who burned down a historic 120-foot tree known as the Senator while she was smoking meth has been arrested on a drug trafficking charge, according to the Seminole County Sheriff's Office.

Records show deputies executed a search warrant at a home in Altamonte Springs on Friday and found 22 grams of methamphetamine in a red plastic container in a washing machine and an additional 16 grams in a plastic drawer in a room belonging to Sara Barnes.

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Deputies said Barnes was arrested on a charge of trafficking methamphetamine.

In 2012, Barnes climbed inside the hollow 3,500-year-old cypress tree in Big Tree Park in Longwood to smoke meth with a friend and lit a fire so she could see better. The flames spread and destroyed the 120-foot tree.

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She was sentenced in 2014 to 30 months in the Department of Corrections, but the judge suspended the sentence provided that she successfully complete five years of probation.

Records from Seminole County show Barnes has been arrested six times since 2012, including Friday's arrest. Those charges include DUI, aggravated assault and drug possession.


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