Lancaster Water Board Official Pleads Not Guilty in Arson Case

An Antelope Valley water board member who was arrested following a fire that heavily damaged his Lancaster home has pleaded not guilty to arson, authorities said Tuesday.

Glenn D. Martin, 66, a member of the Antelope Valley-East Kern Water Agency board of directors, was arrested Monday on suspicion of arson of a residential dwelling, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department reported.

Martin, who was released after his arraignment on $10,000 bail, is suspected of setting a fire Thursday in his home in the 500 block of East Avenue J, Deputy Ron Thomason said. Damage to the home was estimated at $90,000, and county fire reports say that an “unauthorized junkyard” on the property hindered efforts to extinguish the 3:45 p.m. fire and also endangered firefighters.

Martin, a 12-year member of the water agency board who was elected to a fourth four-year term in November, has previously clashed with the city over the storage of junk metal and other debris on his property, authorities said.

Junk Illegally Stored

Last year, Martin, who associates said is retired from the U.S. Air Force and once served as a fighter pilot during World War II, was convicted under the city’s nuisance law of illegally storing junk at his home, Thomason said.

The city then cleared the debris from his property. However, Martin appealed the conviction and began collecting junk on his property again, Thomason said.

If Martin is convicted of the felony arson charge, he could face a penalty ranging from probation to eight years in prison, authorities said. Under state law, he would also be forced to resign from the water agency if convicted.

“I hope he is not convicted,” said Mike Riddell, the water agency’s attorney. “It’s a sad situation. He has devoted most of his life to public service and now this happens.”

Martin could not be reached for comment Tuesday.