Wheelchair Robber Admits Arson
An elderly man suspected of setting fire to his hotel room pleaded guilty Friday to arson of an inhabited dwelling.
The plea from William Hart, 76, came during a preliminary hearing before San Diego Municipal Judge Frank Brown.
Hart faces a maximum sentence of three years in state prison, Deputy Dist. Atty. Jim Waters said. Sentencing is set for Feb. 28.
Hart first made news Jan. 15, 1991, when he was arrested for a $70 bank robbery. Hart, who uses a wheelchair, said he held up the bank because he needed the money to fill a prescription.
Bank robbery charges were deferred for a year on the condition that Hart remain law-abiding. They could be reinstated because of the arson conviction.
The fire at the Maryland Hotel downtown was set Jan. 8 after Hart reportedly received an eviction notice. Hart had a dispute with hotel officials and allegedly poured camp stove fuel on the carpet in his room and lit it.
He remains in County Jail in lieu of $25,000 bail.
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