SUMTER, SC (WBTW) – Deputies with the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office arrested one man in connection to the arson at the Compass Restaurant in July, 2016 Monday evening.
A release from Ken Bell with the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office says Ronald Clifton Cantey, 57, of Lake City, was arrested and charged with second degree arson, burning personal property to defraud insurer and making a false insurance claim.
Investigators from SLED and the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office have worked the case since July, Bell said. Over the course of the investigation, officials found evidence that placed Cantey at the scene of the fire within minutes of a call to 911, the warrant said.
In the Fall of 2016, investigators also say Cantey collected about $700,000 in fraudulent insurance claims.
The Florence County Sheriff’s Office also assisted in the arrest.
The First Appearance hearing for Cantey will be at 2 p.m. Tuesday at the Sumter-Lee Regional Detention Center.
