COLUMBUS, Ind. — A local man is in custody in connection with an early morning fire at a downtown dentist office, Columbus police said. At approximately 3:48 a.m., Columbus police officers responded to Columbus Family Dental, located at 901 Third St., for the report of a structure fire. When officers arrived, there were visible flames coming from the building. The Columbus Fire Department quickly arrived and began battling the fire.
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 believe Whitmore set fire to a blanket near Columbus Family Dental that caused the structure fire.
Whitmore was arrested and preliminarily charged with criminal mischief, a Level 6 felony.
The investigation is still ongoing.
For more on this story, see Wednesday’s Republic.
