Man Charged With Setting Fire To Former Home Of Hickory Daily Record

A homeless Hickory man has been arrested and charged with setting fire to the former home of the Hickory Daily Record newspaper.

On Friday, Hickory Police arrested 47-year-old Samuel Eric Hunt Jr on a felony charge of burning an unoccupied commercial structure. He was also charged with second-degree trespassing and served a warrant for failure to appear on a charge for possession of drug paraphernalia.

The property is located at 11th Avenue Boulevard SE. No information is available as to the extent of damage caused to the structure. The newspaper sold the property in 2025 and moved to another location in Hickory.

Hunt is being held in custody without bond pending a court appearance on Monday.

Photo: Hickory Police Department