Napa woman convicted in Lake Berryessa arson fires

A Napa woman charged with setting 11 fires near Lake Berryessa from 2015 to 2017 pleaded no contest Wednesday to three counts of arson.

Debra Ann Windholz, 60, entered her plea in Napa County Superior Court before Judge Diane Price. She is set to be sentenced Sept. 18, according to a release from Napa County District Attorney Allison Haley.

Windholz, who works for a Solano County government agency, was arrested in December on charges that she set 11 fires between Oct. 30, 2015, and Aug. 10, 2017, in the area of Berryessa Knoxville Road.

In interviews with Cal Fire investigators, Windholz admitted to discarding lit cigarettes and matches at the ignition points of several of the fires, Deputy District Attorney Agnes Dziadur said.

The agreement with prosecutors calls for Windholz to register as an arson offender, be on probation for four years and spend up to six months in the Napa County jail.

She is not suspected in blazes tied to the October 2017 firestorm, officials said.

You can reach Staff Writer Kevin McCallum at 707-521-5207 or kevin.mccallum@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @srcitybeat.