VENTURA : Homeless Woman Sentenced for Arson
A homeless Ventura woman has been sentenced to 32 months in state prison after pleading guilty to one count each of arson and attempted arson.
Dianne Marie Drummond, 54, of Ventura was suspected of setting a rash of fires in early 1991, including a Feb. 6, 1991, fire that caused $35,000 in damage to two businesses on the 1400 block of East Main Street, according to Superior Court records.
Drummond was charged with five arson-related crimes, but on Tuesday Superior Court Judge Charles Campbell threw out three counts in light of her guilty plea for setting the February, 1991, fire, Deputy Public Defender John Voigtsberger said.
Drummond has a history of manic-depressive behavior, Voigtsberger said. After her arrest in July, 1991, she was found unfit to stand trial and sent to Patton State Hospital in Los Angeles County. She was able to undergo trial only after medical treatment, he said.
Drummond had held a number of odd jobs and lived on the streets of downtown Ventura, Voigtsberger said. “She had been mentally ill for years,” he said.
Drummond was given credit for her hospital stay and prior jail time and will probably spend less than a year in prison, he said.
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