Arrest made two years later in Haltom City arson case

HALTOM CITY, Texas - It took two and a half years, but police finally made an arrest in an arson case at a Haltom City business.

The suspect caught on surveillance nearly blew himself up trying to torch Ken’s Auto Repair. A firefighter was injured battling the flames.

Haltom City arson investigators say they followed leads from North Texas and into two other states to track down their suspect. Their suspect turned out to be a former employee of the business.

FOX 4 first showed surveillance video of the suspect’s blazing stupidity in March 2016. Arson investigators say a flammable liquid was poured through a broken window of the shop. After a strike of a lighter, it didn’t end well. The plan literally backfired, knocking the suspect into the parking lot. His ball cap went flying past him.

Haltom City arson investigators say the man in the video is 51-year-old James Sikes. He was a former employee of Ken's Auto Repair.

"It's very powerful,” said Haltom City Fire Marshal Fred Napp. “People have died from that type of explosion before. The person who did this is lucky he was able to run away."

And Sikes kept running. Two and a half years later, he was finally arrested and charged with arson with bodily injury since a firefighter was hurt putting out the fire.

Sikes’ name came up early in the investigation. An arrest warrant affidavit says a man who saw him hours after the fire told investigators “Sikes had an obvious fresh haircut and that his hair appeared singed." But it's been no laughing matter and a long road back for Ken's Auto Repair.

"We were out of business for over a year,” said Ken McCreary, owner of the shop. “I worked in parking lots, the tailgate of my pickup and everywhere else to kind of take care of my people. We were out of business pretty much."

The affidavit also helps explain a motive. It says Sikes was doing repair jobs on the side claiming he was part owner of Ken's Auto Shop even though he no longer worked there.

Investigators suspect Sikes burned the shop as a cover story for why he wasn't getting work done for those outside customers who paid up front.

“Pretty good slap in the face,” McCreary said. “You help somebody, give them a job to get things going for them. Then, they turn around and burn up your business."

Arson investigators say the ATF joined with local authorities to track down leads. They also enlisted the help of police in New Hampshire and Tennessee.