Convicted arsonist sentenced

He did it for the insurance money, said the jury. Terrence John Ballowe, 41, was sentenced last Wednesday, July 31, for setting the fire that seriously damaged his bed & Breakfast building, which he owned and operated in a heavily wooded area of Black Hawk. District Judge Jack Berryhill sentenced Ballowe to five years of probation and two years in a jail work release program. He was also ordered him to complete 480 hours of community service. Judge Berryhill ordered that the entire sentence be served in Gilpin County where the fire was set. The case against Ballowe first went to jury trial in October 2011. That jury could not reach a unanimous verdict and the court declared a mistrial. Prosecutors elected to go forward and try the case again.
In June 2013 a jury found Ballowe guilty of First Degree Arson (F3) and Third Degree Arson (F4).