Man sent to prison for arson at Democratic Party office

Faircloth admitted to using a wine bottle, gasoline and sock to construct the Molotov cocktail because he opposed the party’s political position, the Department of Justice said.

Surveillance footage from Sept. 29, 2021 showed Faircloth drive up to the office in his red-colored Ford F-150 and get out of the truck to throw an object towards the front door just after 2 a.m., according to a federal complaint. Police believe Faircloth tried to drop a lit object and then drop the bottle on top, but the bottle did not fully ignite at the time. 

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Faircloth is then seen fleeing from the scene. He was arrested days later.

A 911 caller reported the damage and extinguished the fire by the time Austin firefighters arrived.

At the fire scene, officers found a note Fairchild left that read “You can have the Golden State, the financials of New York, the mountains of Colorado, even the sweet peaches of Georgia, you can have the Great Plains to the windy city of Chicago. But one thing you can’t have is Texas. Consider this a ‘light’ warning’ -the people” 

After releasing surveillance footage of the fire to the media, a tipster came forward identifying Faircloth as the arsonist. 

When investigators looked into Faircloth, they found photos on Facebook of him wearing an American flag face mask that matched the one the arsonist was wearing on the surveillance video. 

“Violence in the political process is unacceptable,” said U.S. Attorney Ashley C. Hoff. “We all must respect the rule of law. Those who commit acts of violence or destroy property for a political or ideological agenda will be held accountable for their crimes.”

In addition to the prison sentence, Faircloth was ordered to pay more than $12,000 in restitution.

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