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ST. PETERS, Mo. — A woman from St. Peters was arrested after she was
accused of "maliciously" burning down a restaurant, bar, and hotel in
Puerto Rico, according to a federal indictment.

Officials believe Danielle Bertothy, 36, destroyed the businesses on Jan.
2 and is scheduled for an initial court appearance on Jan. 17. She will
face a minimum sentence of five years in prison and a maximum of 20 years
in prison, if convicted.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) previously confirmed to 5 On Your Side that federal officials executed a search
warrant at Bertothy's home in St. Peters on the morning of Jan. 7. Now-
viral video circulation on social media showed the woman being escorted
out of her home by federal officials.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Massive Puerto Rican arson investigation triggers
search of St. Louis-area home

The fire burned down three businesses located in the Cabo Rojo community
on the southwest coast of Puerto Rico, including Luichy's Seaside Hotel, a restaurant/bar called Bar Marea, and a souvenir shop called Artes Juavia.

The property owner, Angel Marrero, oversees the hotel. He told 5 On Your
Side that a family rents out the space on the first floor to operate Bar
Marea and Artes Juavia.

Bar Marea owners said in a Facebook post that this woman was drunk,
insulted customers, and assaulted a waitress before they asked her to
leave on Jan. 2. Police escorted her to her nearby Airbnb twice, but later
that night, there were reports of a fire at the businesses.

The post said about 50 people had to evacuate from the hotel.

According to a pretrial detention motion, Bertothy had rented an Airbnb
near the bar starting on Dec. 31. The host of the Airbnb had provided her
with a generator and a tank of gasoline due to an island-wide blackout
that was ongoing at the time. Security video showed someone matching
Bertothy's description returning to the bar after it closed, but wearing a different black dress rather than the orange top she was wearing earlier.
The person was carrying a gas can, which they poured onto the area. The
fire started in the person's vicinity shortly after.

Bertothy's Airbnb stay was scheduled to last until Jan. 11, but the day
after the fire, she made arrangements to make the three-hour drive back to
the airport and fly back to St. Louis to arrive back home on Jan. 3.

According to the court documents, she was interviewed by St. Peters police
that same day and told them she "did some things that were out of
character for her" while she was in Puerto Rico and confirmed that she was
at the bar "where they are claiming something happened."

When ATF agents arrived at her St. Peters home on Jan. 7 to execute a
search warrant, she started to cry and immediately told agents that she
had not unpacked from Puerto Rico without being asked about the fire.

When they searched her luggage, they found an orange top and a black
dress. A police canine indicated the dress was positive for a fire
accelerant, the court document said.

The motion for pretrial detention said she should be held because she is a flight risk.

"Boarding that flight was probably a relief, thinking she would leave
Puerto Rico as another anonymous tourist, not facing the consequences of
her crimes," the pretrial document said.

https://www.ksdk.com/article/news/crime/missouri-woman-arrested-puerto- rico-arson-businesses/63-fd5f934f-ed4b-40d2-9d16-29b1afac5e7d?ref=exit-
recirc

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