NAVAJO NATION

Farmington man awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to 2023 arson charge

Mike Easterling
Farmington Daily Times

A Farmington man has pleaded guilty to an arson charge in connection with a 2023 fire in which a residence was burned.

According to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico, Ulrick Bruce Canyon, 40, pleaded guilty to a charge of arson of a dwelling on Jan. 16 in federal court in Albuquerque. Canyon, a member of the Navajo Nation, faces a sentence of up to life in prison at his sentencing hearing, which has not been scheduled.

In his plea agreement, Canyon admitted to burning down the residence on Aug. 28, 2023. The home was located off Indian Service Route 5081 west of U.S. Highway 491 between Sheep Springs and Newcomb in far-western San Juan County on the Navajo Nation.

According to The Daily Times archives, Canyon had been staying with the home’s residents, who reported to investigators that Canyon’s behavior had become increasingly erratic and violent, which they attributed to his drinking and drug use. The residents told investigators they had left the home out of fear and were staying at a Farmington motel when they learned their home had been burned.

Canyon admitted in the plea agreement to starting the fire by pouring lighter fluid in the bedrooms of the residence, lighting a fire and throwing two 20-pound propane tanks into the blaze.

Canyon was spotted leaving the residence with a wheelbarrow full of his clothing by Navajo Nation Police officers. He allegedly admitted to starting the fire when he was questioned by an investigator, according to The Daily Times archives.

Canyon will remain in federal custody until he is sentenced, according to the release.

The case was investigated by the Farmington resident agency of the FBI’s Albuquerque field office, along with the Navajo Nation Police Department and the Navajo Department of Criminal Investigations.

Mike Easterling can be reached at 505-564-4610 ormeasterling@daily-times.com. Support local journalism with a digital subscription: http://bit.ly/2I6TU0e.