ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) - State officials say a fire causing hundreds of dollars in damage at the National Hispanic Cultural Center in Albuquerque was sparked by “simulated doobies” that one agent described as weeds rolled in paper.
Mark Torres, the special agent in charge of the Office of Superintendent of Insurance said Wednesday that 26-year-old Mathew Luxon, a security guard supervisor at the center, and his friend 29-year-old Lyle Thompson have been charged with negligent arson and conspiracy in the March 9 fire. Online court records did not immediately list attorneys for them.
The Albuquerque Journal reports the men are accused of firing an on-duty weapon off a balcony, and setting the fire in a mechanical room after time drinking downtown. The blaze resulted in indoor sprinklers running for hours.
There were no reported injuries.
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