A woman pleaded guilty Nov. 3 to committing two arsons when she set fire to a shed near a church in 2015 and a mattress near the Salvation Army in Chula Vista on July 12.
Shirley Anne Edwards, 54, who is also known as Shirley Gentry, faces a sentence ranging from probation to six years and eight months in prison, said Deputy District Attorney Christopher Chandler.
Chula Vista Superior Court Judge Ed Allard set sentencing for Dec. 6. Edwards remains in the Las Colinas Women’s Detention Facility on $100,000 bail.
Allard dismissed two arson charges and two arson attempts after she pleaded guilty to two counts. Edwards was arrested Aug. 5 by Chula Vista Police after the fire department responded to three separate fires that morning.
Three brush fires occurred on Aug. 5. A trash can was also set on fire around 5:16 a.m. in the 200 block of Broadway and another fire was reported at 5:40 a.m. in the 300 block of Broadway. The third fire occurred in the 400 block of Broadway at 5:48 a.m. and Edwards was detained.
A shed near a church in the 600 block of G Street was set on fire on Thanksgiving in 2015. She was found dancing in the street near the fire and pleaded guilty to setting that blaze.
She pleaded guilty to burning a mattress near the Salvation Army donation center in the 300 block of Broadway on July 12.
On July 28, a restaurant owner objected to Gentry trying to bathe in the restroom and later that night the business door was set on fire. She was also charged with setting fire to a couch outside on July 28.
Court records show Edwards was ordered in 2015 to stay away from a nail salon and two other stores in Chula Vista after she was sentenced for misdemeanor battery of a woman. Edwards received credit for time served with three years probation in that case and was fined $655.
