Hobson guilty of lighting fire

Christopher Hobson, 29, of 152-1 Oak Street, who was indicted on a charge of attempted arson, a class B felony, in connection with a fire in a storage shed at 72 Belknap Street last June, pled guilty to criminal mischief, also a class B felony, in Belknap County Superior Court last week. He will be sentenced later this month with Belknap County Attorney Lauren Noether recommending a sentence of one to three years in the New Hampshire State Prison.

Hobson, together with his half-brother Michael Grenier, 24, also of 152-1 Oak Street, filled a liquor bottle with flammable liquids, materials and sparklers and set fire to the shed shortly before 2:30 a.m. on June 28. Grenier, who earlier entered the same plea was sentenced to one-and-a-half to three years in prison.

The storage shed is directly across Belknap Street from the Oak Street apartment Grenier was living in.

Grenier's girlfriend, Jennifer Flynt, told police that he woke her up, urging her to see what he had done. She looked out the window to see fire trucks and police cruisers on Belknap Street. Flynt said that Hobson also boasted about lighting the fire. She also said that the two were responsible for a number of false fire alarms in the neighborhood. They would get drunk, Flynt said, pull the fire alarm boxes, put candles on the boxes and watch firefighters answer the alarms from the porch of 152 Oak Street.

Both men have lengthy criminal histories and have served time in both the state prison and county jail.