19-year-old Female Arsonist Arrested after Suspicious Fire in Ojai
OJAI, CA — July 23, 2026 – A suspicious fire that damaged an Ojai boutique a month ago has led to the arrest
of a 19-year-old Santa Paula woman.
After investigators spent a month sifting through
witness reports and multiple sources of surveillance evidence before identifying the suspect.
Ava Amara Everett is suspected of torching the Ikat & Pearls Boutique on East Ojai Avenue on June 21.
According to Ventura County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Det. Dan Turock,
officers with the Ojai Police Department and firefighters from the Ventura County Fire
Department promptly responded to the scene, where crews “quickly extinguished the
blaze before it could spread further.” Although the fire was brought under control, “it
caused permanent damage to the building.”
Because the circumstances surrounding the fire “appeared suspicious,” the investigation
was turned over to the Ventura County Sheriff’s Major Crimes Bomb and Arson Unit,
working alongside the Ventura County Fire Department Arson Unit, the Ojai Detective
Bureau and Ojai patrol officers.
Detectives ultimately concluded that “Everett willfully and maliciously set the fire.”
With the accumulated evidence generated by VCSD resources in hand, an arrest warrant
for Everett was issued on July 20. Just hours later that same day detectives made
contact with Everett and took her into custody. She was transported to Ventura County
Jail, where she was booked on a charge of arson of a structure.
She remains in custody pending a judicial bail hearing.
– by F. Scott Faulkner
