Arsonist Gets 6 Years for Series of Fires

Convicted arsonist Rhonda Denise Erving was sentenced Thursday to six years in prison for setting and trying to set a series of arson fires in the Silver Strand beach community more than three years ago.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Richard Simon had asked for the six-year prison term, of which Erving must serve 80%. Defense attorney Bill Maxwell wanted probation, arguing that his client had no prior record.

But after reviewing a psychiatrist’s report that called Erving a pyromaniac, Municipal Court Judge Arturo Gutierrez ruled in favor of the higher sentence.

“I think it has got to be a relief for the people who lived in Silver Strand for that period,” Simon said. “I am glad the judge saw it the same way I did.”

The 43-year-old dockworker was linked by authorities to more than 30 fires in Silver Strand between late 1992 and early 1993.

Trash cans, cars, boats and the interior of one family’s home were torched over a seven-month period, terrifying residents in the small community.

The case baffled fire investigators for years. It was not until an arson in the Oxnard neighborhood where Erving lived in 1995 that police concluded they had the culprit.

Erving was convicted in October of four felony charges of arson and three felony charges of attempted arson.

“I think it really sends a message to arsonists out there that we may not always catch them [immediately], but if they keep doing it they will get caught,” Simon said.