AUSTIN, Texas — A man accused of throwing a Molotov cocktail at the Travis County Democratic Party headquarters in September 2021 and leaving a “threatening note” has reached a plea deal.
Ryan Faircloth has agreed to a plea of one count of arson with federal prosecutors in the case, according to court documents obtained by KVUE.
Faircloth was arrested on Oct. 1 and booked into jail with a second-degree felony arson charge and a third-degree felony charge for carrying a prohibited weapon.
Brandon Jennings, an arson investigator at the Austin Fire Department, said at a press conference that video from surveillance cameras showed a man mulling around the building before he threw what appeared to be a rock at the window on the front door. The man is then reportedly seen coming back into view with a Molotov cocktail that he placed inside the door. Jennings said what looked like a stack of paper was lit on fire.
The Travis County Democratic Party provided surveillance footage when the incident happened.
The building had minor damage, and no staff was inside the building when the fire happened.
Faircloth is set to be sentenced on March 24.
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