Denver DA's Husband Pleads Guilty To Attempted Arson Charges

DENVER, CO — The husband of Denver's district attorney pleaded guilty to two counts of attempted arson for burning slash piles near his Kremmling home and leaving them unattended last year, the 14th Judicial District Attorney's Office said in a news release.

Christopher Linsmayer entered a guilty plea to both counts Thursday. One count is a class five felony for placing other persons in danger of death or serious bodily injury, and the other count is a misdemeanor for placing a building or occupied structure in danger of receiving $100 or more in damages.

According to the 14th Judicial District Attorney's Office, Linsmayer faces up to 90 days in the Grand County jail, 80 hours of community service, two years of supervised probation, and must consent to an injunction prohibiting open fires on his property under the terms of the guilty pleas.

If he successfully completes the entirety of his two-year sentence in compliance with all obligations, and without violation of its terms or the commission of any new offense, the charges will be dismissed at that time.

If he violates the terms of his sentence, he will be subject to revocation proceedings, and if the Court finds a violation, he would face a possible sentence of up to six years in the state prison system.

A pre-sentence investigation has been ordered, with sentencing scheduled for Oct. 14, 2021, authorities said.

“This resolution should make clear that no matter what you think you are entitled to do, violating a fire ban or otherwise behaving recklessly with fire on Colorado’s western slope will result in serious consequences. Thankfully, nobody was hurt in this instance and no structures were damaged, but as has been made painfully clear in recent years, there is zero room for irresponsible behavior with fire in Colorado," said Matt Karzen, District Attorney, 14th Judicial
District.

Linsmayer is the husband of Denver District Attorney Beth McCann.

On Oct. 27, 2020 at approximately 4:20 p.m., Grand County deputies said they were dispatched to the Gorewood Subdivision, off of County Rd 14S in Kremmling regarding a possible fire burning near a home. Deputies along with the Kremmling Fire Department arrived on scene and found multiple unattended slash piles actively burning near a house.

According to the sheriff's office, multiple firefighters were able to hike in and put the flames out using hand tools, shovels and snow already on the ground. Kremmling firefighters were able to get the slash piles knocked down temporarily extinguishing the flames.

Deputies eventually located the property owner, Linsmayer, and learned that he had left his home that morning, leaving the fires unattended, deputies said.

On Oct. 28, 2020, deputies said they went back to the house and found 12 slash piles, four of which were still smoldering and smoking from under the ground. The Kremmling Fire Department responded for the second time and was able to dig up the soil in the concerned and extinguish the slash piles.

At the time, Linsmayer originally faced 12 misdemeanor counts of fourth degree arson.