The tourist who set fire to a bar in Red Capefire that consumed neighboring businesses, was arrested this afternoon.
The information was confirmed to First Hour by the spokesperson for the Agency for Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), Clara Himel.
A federal grand jury in the District of Puerto Rico returned the indictment against the St. Peters, Missouri woman, identified as Danielle Bertothy, 36.
Bertothy is accused of using fire to destroy any building affecting interstate commerce (arson).
The defendant is scheduled to make her initial court appearance on Friday, January 17, before a magistrate of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri.
If convicted, she would face a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison and up to twenty years in prison.
A federal district judge will determine the sentence. According to court documents, on January 2, the defendant allegedly “maliciously damaged and destroyed, by fire, a building and other real and personal property used in interstate and foreign commerce and in activities affecting interstate and foreign commerce, to wit: a commercial building consisting of a retail store, a restaurant, a bar and a hotel located at Highway 3301 KM 2.9 Combate Beach, Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico.”
“This defendant will be held accountable for her dangerous actions that caused significant harm and put many lives at risk,” said W. Stephen Muldrow, United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico.
“The United States Attorney’s Office, along with federal, state, and local law enforcement partners, will continue to aggressively enforce federal laws and bring to justice criminals who commit violent crimes,” he added.
“This arrest demonstrates the commitment of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to combating violent and destructive criminal behavior, regardless of where it occurs, on the mainland or in the territories of the United States,” he commented. Christopher A. Robinson, special agent in charge of the ATF Miami Field Division.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Puerto Rico Police Bureau (PRPB) continue the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys (AUSA) Jonathan Gottfried, Chief of the Violent Crimes and Homeland Security Division, Jeannette Collazo, Deputy Chief of the Violent Crimes and Homeland Security Division, and Corinne Cordero-Romo are prosecuting the case.
Suspended and reported online
Prior to the accident, the woman had been inciting controversies in the area for days, disturbances that were being investigated by the Municipal Police.
According to what has been reported on social networks, the woman argued with employees of the Marea Combate Bar, who felt intimidated and called the authorities.
After the store closed, the woman returned and allegedly set the place on fire.
Videos from security cameras from nearby businesses captured the moment in which the woman is seen walking with a container of gasoline near one of the businesses.
Another video showed the moment the fire started in the bar. The flames spread to the surrounding businesses Marinera Restaurant, Artesanías Juavia and the Luighy’s Seaside Hotel.
As a result of the extensive disclosure of the incident on social networks, the company where Bertothy worked, HLK Agency – a digital advertising and marketing agency based in St. Louis, Missouri – suspended her.
The announcement was issued on Instagram, but he has already deleted the publication from his account. Prior to this, the St. Louis legislator herself, Daniela Velásquez, who is the daughter of Puerto Rican parents, made the request to the company through a letter, urging them to base themselves on their values as a company “with a reputation for its commitment with diversity and community impact” to take the allegations seriously and to urge Bertothy to turn himself in to the authorities.
He also recommended that they should evaluate the woman’s employment status within the company, if guilty.
