An Albuquerque man pleaded guilty in federal court Wednesday to five counts of arson in connection with nine fires set at Albuquerque businesses over a 10-day period last year.
David Hickman, 28, is facing five to 20 years in prison at sentencing, according to his plea agreement. U.S. District Judge Judith Herrera is assigned to the case.
Albuquerque police officers arrested Hickman last November after he set fire to the Old Navy store at 4900 Cutler NE, which destroyed the store’s sales inventory, valued at more than $690,000, according to the plea agreement. All told, Hickman caused millions of dollars in damage by breaking into eight businesses and a set of condominiums that were under construction and setting fires using mason jars filled with ignitable liquid like gasoline, according to his plea agreement. In some of the cases, he got into the businesses by shooting out the windows.