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Schenectady County resident Eric Reed, age 36, pleaded guilty to one count of arson in Schenectady County Court on Friday, Oct 27, stemming from a fire at the Wagon Train BBQ restaurant in Rotterdam.
Firefighters were called to the Mariaville Road business at around 6 a.m. on Sunday, June 4, after flames broke out in a storage shed located right outside the main building.
The fire quickly spread to a second storage shed and a utility pole, causing power outages in the area.
Nobody was injured, but the building suffered extensive damage, according to prosecutors.
The incident triggered a joint investigation between the Rotterdam Police Department, state and county fire departments, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF).
Surveillance footage from the restaurant and surrounding area pointed to Reed as the culprit.
It showed him arriving at the property shortly before the fire and entering a storage shed where stacks of wood were kept.
Reed faces between four and eight years in prison when he’s sentenced on Tuesday, Dec. 19.
As part of his guilty plea, he waived his right to appeal.
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