FBI charge 5 with Gulf Coast Walmart store arsons
MOBILE, Ala. Feb 25, 2022— Five people have been arrested in connection with a string of arsons at Walmart stores along the Gulf Coast.
Jeffery Sikes, Sean Bottorff, Michael Bottorff, Quinton Olson, and Alexander Olson all have been arrested and charged with conspiracy to maliciously destroy by fire. All five currently live in Gulf Shores.
Sikes also faces an additional count of malicious destruction by fire. Alexander Olson faces two counts of malicious destruction by fire.
Court documents allege Sikes and Alexander Olson started a fire at the Walmart at the I-65 Service Road in Mobile on May 27, 2021. Court documents also allege Alexander Olson helped set a fire at the Walmart at Rangeline Road in Mobile on May 28, 2021.
Starting in May 2021, fires were being set inside Walmarts, two in Mobile and in Gulfport and Biloxi, Miss. The stores were open and full of customers at the time.
The FBI in Mobile confirms they executed search warrants Thursday morning to arrest the five.
According to court documents, the five men had a manifesto and were purposely setting fires to force Walmart to meet their demands.
