Investigation Reveals Insufficient Security Before Gov.’s Mansion Fire

AUSTIN (AP) – A state trooper guarding the Governor’s Mansion the night an arsonist torched the landmark was ill-equipped to properly guard the grounds.

That’s the word Thursday from an ongoing internal investigation by Department of Public Safety Sergeant Michael Escalante.

Escalante says the one trooper on duty the night of the June 8 blaze was not properly trained to monitor the security system. He says parts of a motion detector system were not working properly and required extra vigilance from the trooper.

The trooper was turned away from the security console in the carriage house behind the mansion and was working on a nearby computer.

Also, just 13 of 20 surveillance cameras were operating at the time.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)