10/2/2021- 6:56 p.m.
Law enforcement authorities say they have made an arrest in Wednesday’s arson incident at the Travis County Democratic Party office in East Austin.
A “Molotov cocktail” was thrown inside the office and ignited during the early morning hours. The arson suspect was recorded on security cameras, and a note was a left at the scene.
The Austin Fire Department says their arson investigators along with the FBI made the arrest. Ryan Faircloth, 30, is charged with second-degree felony arson and third-degree felony possession of a prohibited weapon.
He remains in custody at the Travis County Jail under a combine $40,000 bond for both charges.
Early Wednesday morning an outside camera recorded a man throwing a rock through the front door of the Travis County Democratic Party office on East 6th Street. He then came back with what appears to be an incendiary device, and placed it inside the building, and then the fire ignited.
Damage to the building was minimized because people at the bar across the street spotted the first flames and put them out with a fire extinguisher.
Last year, vandals hit the same building, spraying graffiti across the front. That’s when security cameras were installed that may help police find who was responsible for the latest damage.
