COLUMBUS, Ind. – A local man is in custody regarding an early Tuesday morning fire at a downtown dentist’s office.
The Columbus Police Department (CPD) responded to Columbus Family Dental, at 901 Third St., at around 3:45 a.m., after a structure fire was reported. When officers arrived, visible flames were coming from the building.
The Columbus Fire Department quickly arrived and began battling the blaze.
While investigating the circumstances surrounding the start of the fire, officers located Joshua J. Whitmore, 31, of Columbus. As a result of the preliminary investigation, detectives allege that Whitmore set fire to a blanket near the Columbus Family Dental building which caused the fire.
Whitmore was arrested and preliminarily charged with criminal mischief, a level 6 felony. The CPD investigation is still ongoing.
Whitmore-Courtesy of CPD
