DRAPER, Utah, July 4, 2019 (Gephardt Daily) — A 20-year-old woman has been charged after police say she sparked a wildfire on Tuesday in Draper, near Point of the Mountain.
Crystal LeBaron has been charged with one count of reckless burn, a class A misdemeanor.
A probable cause statement filed in the case says Draper Police officers responded to the scene, near 8 E. Manilla Circle, after the field fire was reported at about 2 p.m.
They spoke to a neighbor, “who advised he witnessed a young female made statements like she made a little fire and the wind blew it into the gulley. He also stated the female grabbed a broom to try to put
out the flames. The female suspect advised officers her name was Crystal Lebaron.”
That information could not be confirmed, the statement says, noting that the woman’s siblings stated she came from a polygamist family, which had lived in Missouri and in Chihuahua, Mexico.
“One of the sisters stated she was in the process of obtaining a birth certificate for Crystal,” the statement says.
“Crystal’s sister Jordana Lebaron explained to officers that she arrived home and Crystal admitted to her that she started the fire. Officers arrived on scene and witnessed the suspect carrying a bucket, assumed to contain water, and shortly after took her into custody.”
After being advised of her Miranda Rights, Crystal LeBaron declined to give officers a statement. She was arrested, and her bail was set at $5,000. She has since been released.
“During the investigation three homes needed to be evacuated as they were in danger of damage,” the probable cause statement concludes.
