Man Charged in Cheyenne Hotel Fire

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — Federal prosecutors say a New Mexico man faces charges in a 2010 arson fire that destroyed a landmark Cheyenne hotel.

The U.S. Attorney's Office in Cheyenne announced late Friday that a Wyoming grand jury has indicted a 44-year-old New Mexico man. The announcement states the man is accused of maliciously destroying the Hitching Post Inn by fire and using fire to further mail fraud.

Court records show U.S. District Judge Nancy Freudenthal of Cheyenne on Thursday sealed the complaint against the man as well as supporting documents in the case. The prosecutors' statement says the man appeared in court in Cheyenne on Friday and was ordered held without bond.

Attempts to reach prosecutors and an Albuquerque lawyer who represented the defendant were unsuccessful late Friday.