Kristin Murphy, The Deseret News via AP

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) on Tuesday requested that the Utah County Attorney’s Office charge Draper resident Cory Allan Martin with animal cruelty for allegedly causing a 40-acre fire on Aug. 1 near Springville.

According to previous reporting, Martin confessed to Springville Fire Chief Henry Clinton and Springville Public Safety Director/Police Chief Lance Haight that he started the fire because he was trying to kill a spider with a lighter.

Spencer Cannon, public information officer for the Utah County Sheriff’s Office, previously told the Daily Herald that Martin was charged with reckless burning, a class A misdemeanor, and two other charges for being in possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia. PETA’s letter to Utah County Attorney David Leavitt requested the addition of an animal cruelty charge for the deaths of countless animals — including the spider Martin allegedly attempted to burn.

“I’m writing to request that your office add cruelty-to-animals charges, as appropriate, to the reckless burning and related charges that investigators have proposed against Cory Allan Martin in connection with the Springville fire,” wrote Senior Evidence Analyst Sarah Deffinger. “Although no humans lost their lives, the many wild animals who resided on the approximately 60 acres of land destroyed in the fire were undoubtedly less fortunate, including the spider whom Martin reportedly told police he was attempting to burn with a lighter when the surrounding brush ignited. Such catastrophic fires inflict terror and suffering on countless animals and cause them to endure prolonged, agonizing deaths.”

Deffinger cited Utah State Code, giving the exact definition of animal cruelty. She acknowledged that the spider isn’t protected by Utah’s anti-cruelty statute, but listed mule deer and yellow-bellied marmots, who live in that region, which are protected. The letter also provided two other cases, one in California and Oregon, which resulted in animal cruelty convictions.

Harrison Epstein, Daily Herald

PETA Media Coordinator Nicole Meyer told the Daily Herald that PETA found out about the Springville fire by monitoring news reports for wildfires, particularly those started by individuals.

“PETA has made approximately a dozen similar requests since 2020,” Meyer said. “We request cruelty charges when individuals are accused of starting fires that burn extensive natural habitats of countless wild animals and when individual animals are identified as victims of such fires.”

Although few individuals are fans of spiders, Meyer said killing any animal by lighting them on fire or suffocating them with smoke is cruel.

“If this were done to a dog or a cat, the public would be rightfully outraged and felony charges would likely be filed,” she said. “The wild animals surely killed in this fire felt the agony of burning alive or suffocating to death, and they deserve the same protections under the law.”

Leavitt told the Daily Herald he hasn’t seen the letter yet, but would look into it. For PETA’s request to become reality, it would have to go through proper procedure in the attorney’s office.

“It would be taken to our screening division and we have a discussion on if the elements of the charges can be proven beyond reasonable doubt,” Leavitt said. From there, the office would determine if the case is worth prosecuting in terms of case load, workload and societal interest.

“I get request for things all the time, but what I don’t get often is evidentiary proof. What we don’t do is file charges simply based on a news article or whatever. Typically what happens when we get a citizens request, we refer to a police agency and ask if they could help us find the proof we need,” Leavitt said. “That’s the process we go through to determine if we have the evidence and if the request warrants the resources of the county attorney’s office.”

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