Man Arrested in Lubbock for Connection to New Mexico Walmart Fire

A man was arrested in Lubbock with a connection to a fire that broke out in Clovis at the start of September. The Lubbock Police Department arrested 59-year-old Jimmy Guillen after he was named as the primary suspect in a fire that occurred at a Clovis Walmart back on September 3.

KAMC news reports that Guillen went into a closed Walmart at 3:24 a.m. on September 3 through a roll up door used for shopping carts at the entrance. Guillen is said to have brought a propane torch and canister with a package, containing beads, glass, and rocks, taped to it. Guillen was captured on a surveillance camera grabbing a few bottles of propane and then placing the open flame from the torch near the bottles. Guillen was detained the day before the fire occurred just behind the same Walmart where a grass fire was made by Guillen.

The Lubbock Police Department was originally on the lookout for Guillen as he had been seen on Saturday, September 9, just before midnight in Lubbock. The Lubbock Police Department did state that while in Lubbock Guillen had actually been seeking medical attention. Police were not sure where to find Guillen as he was known to move frequently and for very short periods of time before moving on to the next city.

Guillen was detained the day that the fire occurred in Clovis but due to lack of evidence at the time of the incident he was set free. Guillen was arrested at 1:25 p.m. near the area of 34th Street and Quaker Avenue in Lubbock, he is suspected of causing roughly $42 million in damages to the Walmart in Clovis.