Attempted Arson, Murder-for-Hire Scheme at the Center of Rivalry Between Tyler Methadone Clinics

A "competitive edge" rivalry between two Tyler methadone clinics led to a wild story you would normally only find on a television drama series.

But this one's true, and it's a story of attempted arson and hit-men.

Ten months after his arrest, Tyler building contractor Daniel Kubisty pleaded guilty to attempted arson. This came after he accepted $3,000 from Edward Jacobs, owner of the Methadone Clinic of East Texas, to burn down the Add-Life Recovery Center methadone clinic.

The result would have been a major financial advantage for Edward Jacobs with only one methadone clinic in town, but Kubisty was caught. ATF arrested the 54-year-old building contractor in March of 2012 when authorities discovered a gas can with a flammable wick coming out of it in the back of his truck.

In the meantime, and under watch from the ATF, Jacobs arranged a meeting with a possible hit-man to murder Kubisty and keep him from testifying against Jacobs. Jacobs offered $12,000 in the murder-for-hire plot, but ATF arrested him at the scene after monitoring the entire conversation.

Kubisty pleaded guilty Wednesday to attempted arson and faces 5 to 20 years in prison, while Jacobs pleaded guilty to attempted arson and solicitation of murder in December. He faces up to 20 years in prison for each charge.

Sentencing dates are still pending for both men.

Where's Walter White in all this?