Transient Arrested in Store Arson
An acquaintance of the owner of a Ventura stereo repair store was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of starting a fire at the complex that houses the store, police said.
Diane Marie Drummond, 52, a transient, was being held in Ventura County Jail in lieu of $10,000 bail on three charges of arson. She is accused of starting a fire Tuesday that burned the Stereo Repair Shop and Sav-Mor Upholstery shop in the 1400 block of East Main Street.
The shops are part of a five-business structure that includes the Inside Track, a running-supply store owned by Ventura City Councilman Gary Tuttle.
Tuttle’s store had smoke damage, as did an auto repair shop and a pet-grooming shop, the other two businesses in the complex.
The fire, which began in two piles of flammable material behind the stereo and upholstery shops, caused $35,000 damage to the building, Ventura fire investigator Vern Alstot said. There is no estimate yet on damage to the stores’ contents.
Drummond was arrested Wednesday morning at the scene as police and fire officials conducted their investigations.
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