Suspect arrested for soliciting murder of T.O. man

Ventura County deputies went to the Big Bear home of Basil Leonard Dantinne and arrested him on suspicion of attempting to hire someone to kill a Thousand Oaks man and his family, Detective Allen Devers said.

The 62-year-old Dantinne was arrested and booked into Ventura County Jail on Jan. 3, a police report said. He is being held in Ventura County's pretrial facility in lieu of $500,000 bail.

Dantinne allegedly tried to hire someone to kill his former employer and the employer's family after the Thousand Oaks man laid him off, Devers said.

"He was hired to do construction remodeling for a period of time. When the man hiring him was not happy with the work being done, he let him go," Devers said.

Dantinne allegedly became angry because he believed the employer owed him $100,000 for the uncompleted work, Devers said.

A man whom Dantinne allegedly solicited to commit the crime warned the 64-year-old former boss, who contacted police, Devers said.

Devers and two partners went to Big Bear and made the arrest without incident, the detective said.

- Nancy Needham