A Bay Area woman will appear in South Lake Tahoe court this week after allegedly starting a fire miles away from a California Historical Landmark.
Viola Liu, a 43-year-old Fremont resident, is set for bail review and pre-preliminary hearings on Friday morning in El Dorado County Superior Court on a felony charge of arson on forest land, according to the court calendar. Liu will appear in court again on Monday afternoon for a preliminary hearing.
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The El Dorado County Sheriff's Office said in a Facebook post on Saturday that it arrested Liu on Aug. 11 for charges of arson, possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia and resisting/obstructing a peace officer. Deputies responded to a wildland fire of the Aspen Creek Tract near Echo Summit, the latter of which was registered as a state landmark in 2013.
Fire personnel directed deputies to Liu, "a likely arson suspect on scene … who was dressed in only a bikini top and bottom and was covered in scratches and soot," according to officials. Liu said she started the fire, and the sheriff’s office said investigators were able to corroborate her confession with additional evidence.
The El Dorado County Sheriff's Office said in an email to KCBS Radio on Tuesday that Liu is currently being held without bail.
Echo Summit served as a high-altitude training camp for the U.S. Olympic men’s track and field trials 45 years prior to its designation as a state landmark. Tommie Smith and John Carlos were among the athletes who competed in the trials ahead of the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City.
Smith and Carlos, both of whom attended San Jose State University, each famously raised a black-gloved fist, in protest of racial discrimination and inequality in the U.S., from the medal stand in Mexico City after the former won gold and the latter bronze in the 200-meter dash.
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