ABQ man sentenced in 2016 arson case

ALBUQUERQUE — An Albuquerque man was sentenced Thursday to 20 years in prison for setting a string of fires that damaged multiple businesses and other establishments, including an Old Navy, Starbucks, Barnes & Noble, and a condominium construction site.

There were no reported injuries that resulted from the instances of arson, which occurred overnight and in the early morning hours of the Thanksgiving holiday weekend holiday two years ago.

David Hickman, 29, received the maximum prison sentence allowed under a plea agreement he reached with federal prosecutors last year. He also was ordered to pay $406,348 in restitution.

Hickman pleaded guilty to five counts of arson last year, and acknowledged that he lit or attempted to light four other fires at a local anti-abortion organization and several additional Starbucks coffee shops. A motive was never disclosed. Hickman’s attorneys did not immediately respond to a request for comment following his sentencing hearing.

The attacks spanned four days, with the first occurring the day before Thanksgiving at a construction site for a luxury condominium development along Historic Route 66 that authorities say was nearly complete at the time.

At the condominium site, the fire caused more than $8 million in damage.

At the Barnes & Noble, Starbucks and Old Navy stores, authorities say Hickman fired a gun into the glass doors or windows to gain access while they were closed. Once inside, he used either road flares or firecrackers to set off fires.

Albuquerque police arrested Hickman after he drove away from the Old Navy store where an officer who was on patrol said he had heard “small explosions,” according to a federal criminal complaint.