A jury in Seminole County will now decide whether a woman who was on probation for burning down a tree known as “The Senator,” will go to prison.
Jury selection began Monday in a trial for Sara Barnes over a series of traffic charges which violate the terms of her probation.
Barnes was accused of starting the fire that ultimately destroyed the beloved Seminole County landmark in Big Tree Park in 2012.
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Police said Barnes said she and a friend started the fire so they could see better in the dark while doing drugs.
Barnes entered into a plea agreement in 2014 that suspended her sentence has long as she completed five years of probation.
With the traffic violations, prosecutors have taken a plea deal off the table.
If convicted, Barnes could face prison time for the arson and drug charges she faced in the case involving “The Senator.”
"The Senator," a 3,500-year-old cypress tree, was the fifth oldest in the world.
The Senator in 1967, and in 2012, when it was destroyed.