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An electrician pleaded guilty Monday to starting a spectacular fire that destroyed a Salt Lake City apartment complex under construction, causing an estimated $6 million in losses.
Dustin Jay Bowman, 34, changed his plea to guilty to a felony arson charge before U.S. Magistrate Judge Brooke Wells, admitting he started the Feb. 9 fire at 550 E. 500 South. The plea agreement with U.S. prosecutors calls for a four-year prison sentence.
Wells asked Bowman several questions about whether he set the fire.
"Yes, your honor," Bowman replied.
Sentencing is set for March 4 before U.S. District Judge Ted Stewart.
Bowman decided to plead guilty because the deal "was in his best interest," said Jaime Zenger, his court-appointed attorney.
She also said that Bowman's confession to agents who interviewed him was going to be allowed as evidence in the case, though other statements had been suppressed.
Bowman also agreed to pay restitution, but Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Drew Yeates said prosecutors would recommend Stewart waive restitution.
Bowman, who has a history of minor offenses involving drugs, started the fire that gutted the 64,000-square-foot apartment project after smoking Spice, a synthetic form of marijuana, in one of the units, according to a charging document filed in court.
The four-alarm fire sent flames billowing into the nighttime skies and spread quickly through the complex's exposed lumber and siding. The resulting glow could be seen as far away as Davis County.
In several interviews with investigators, Bowman admitted that after smoking Spice, he entered the apartment complex and lit some cardboard on fire and tossed it against a boxed bathtub leaning against a wood wall because he "wanted to see the fire department," according to the complaint file against him.
He became a suspect after investigators watched surveillance-camera footage that captured the image of a man walking through an alley immediately west of the apartment building shortly before the fire began.
Bowman has been jailed since his Feb. 14 arrest after prosecutors cited his daily use of Spice and his failure to appear in court or comply with conditions set in several other cases. Prosecutors also said Bowman was a danger to himself because of a history of depression that included a suicide attempt in 2013.
Bowman's run-ins with the law previously consisted mostly of tickets for speeding and lack of vehicle insurance until early 2013. He was arrested April 2013 in Bountiful for possession of Spice. A day later, he was arrested on separate drug possession and shoplifting charges by Centerville police.
He had various conflicts with the court system for failing to appear at hearings or failure to pay fines.