MADERA - Madera County District Attorney, David A. Linn, announced that he had received correspondence from the California Board of Parole Hearings concerning the non-violent parole review process for Ms. Alice Waterman.  The Board has denied her release.  Waterman was originally convicted of seven counts of Penal Code Section 451(c) Arson, and one count of Conspiracy to Commit Arson; and originally received a total sentence in excess of ten years. 

Although Ms. Waterman is now up for parole under the recently passed Proposition 57 requirements, the Board found that, “She was personally armed with a deadly weapon (Fire).”  The Board further found that Ms. Waterman held the community in terror for a number of weeks and jeopardized the lives of fire personnel and homeowners who repeatedly dealt with the ongoing string of arsons.  Numerous individuals were affected by the inmate’s callous decision to set various fires and wreck havoc on the community.  The Board ultimately determined that Ms. Waterman does pose an unreasonable risk of violence to the community and denied her release.

Linn thanked the large number of citizens who sent letters to his office in opposition to the release of Ms. Waterman, and her co-conspirator, Kenneth Jackson, under Proposition 57.  Linn stated, “Although Proposition 57 is a bad law and this case was not properly charged or tried by my predecessor Michael Keitz, and DDA Sally Moreno, the dedication of my office in opposing release, and the outpouring of support from the community has helped keep these two criminals behind bars.” 

During the 2014 five-month jury trial, evidence was introduced that during the six week period between May 11 and June 25, 2013, 31 fires occurred in the Yosemite Lakes Park area of Madera County. Through the exhaustive efforts of Cal Fire sifting through the burn areas for evidence and their observations of activity in and around the fires, the arson investigators were able to rule out natural and accidental causes, allowing prosecutors to prove Jackson and Waterman started 23 of the fires.

Linn further stated, “The only way that Jackson and Waterman will get out early without serving their sentences is if they petition for release in the future; or if their pending appeal before the Fifth Court of Appeals, based upon alleged constitutional violations and prosecutorial misconduct, is granted.”