The new, larger location for the popular local Nick & Bubba's Beer Butts and Clucks barbecue restaurant in the small town of Hohenwald TN went up in flames on 27 July 2016. In September 2016 the owner Nick Spicer was arrested for arson, accused of burning his own business for the insurance money.
From the Lewis County Herald: (
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"Fire halts anticipated opening of Nick & Bubba’s Beer, Butts and Clucks
Posted on July 28, 2016 by Becky Newbold
Those in the know were looking forward to visiting Nick & Bubba’s Beer, Butts and Clucks barbeque restaurant Wednesday, July 27, for what Judge Mike Hinson called a soft opening. “It’s terrible that this has happened right now,” said Hinson Sunday night while firemen were cleaning up after battling the 9:10 p.m. call to ‘fire showing through the roof.’
Owner Nick Spicer said Tuesday that investigators haven’t told him anything yet but that Mike Gamber with the Tennessee State Fire Marshal’s office would be letting him know when he could.
Gamber told the Herald that circumstances of this fire make it questionable. “We have to go through all the pieces and start eliminating them one by one until we find the answer.” He said that the Fire Marshal’s office was working with TBI on the case.
Hohenwald Fire Chief Steve Vineyard said that only the upper floor suffered fire damage. The ground floor had water damage. Firemen vented heat and smoke through a hole created in the roof as well as windows on the second floor.
Codes Enforcer Brad Rasbury said that Spicer was down to his final inspection. “Now we have to go back in and see if roof trusses or floor joists have been compromised. If so, new certification will be required.”
“We have insurance. It’ll be okay,” said Spicer. But the opening will not be as soon as hoped."
A few months later, the rest of the story came to light. From the Winchester Herald-Chronicle: (
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"TBI case yields charges for restaurant owner accused to setting fire to his business
Posted on Thursday, November 10, 2016 at 2:51 pm
NASHVILLE – Special Agents from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation have obtained indictments for a Hohenwald man accused of setting fire to his restaurant in an effort to commit insurance fraud.
Shortly after the fire at Nick and Bubba’s Beer, Butts and Clucks on July 24th, TBI Agents joined the investigation at the scene along Dabbs Avenue in Hohenwald. During the course of the investigation, with the cooperation of the Hohenwald Fire Department and Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance, Agents developed information that led to the restaurant’s owner, Nick Spicer, as the individual responsible for setting the fire.
On Monday, the Lewis County Grand Jury returned indictments, charging Spicer (DOB 5-14-81) with one count of Arson and one count of Insurance Fraud. Agents subsequently booked him into the Lewis County Jail, from which he was released after posting $20,000 bond."
This story was picked up by the Associated Press, and published across the state.