SUMTER, S.C. — Deputies with the Sumter County Sheriff's Office (SCSO) have announced the arrest of a woman after a Nov. 9 fire at the Sharolyn Motel at 4244 Broad St., across from Shaw Air Force Base.
Deanna Lynn Whitley was arrested on Nov. 9 and charged with second-degree arson.
According to the incident report, a deputy patrolling the Broad Street area around 8:50 p.m. noticed flames at the bottom of one of the rooms at the Sharolyn Motel and called dispatch to send other SCSO units, the Sumter Fire Department and Sumter County EMS.
The deputy saw Whitley actively pulling the window curtains that were on fire out of the room where she and her boyfriend were staying. She said the curtains caught fire after they came in contact with a lit cigarette, and she was trying to extinguish the fire. The deputy got Whitley out of the room before it became fully involved with flames.
The fire spread to other rooms at the motel, displacing 25 people. No injuries were reported.
Whitley was transported to the Sumter County Sheriff's Office Detention Center and given a $15,000 surety bond. She remains in custody at the time of this report.
