Former Employee Torches McKinney Dollar Tree Store, Says Company Has Been Following Him
MCKINNEY (CBSDFW.COM) – Police say a disgruntled Dollar Tree ex-employee walked into the business with a bottle of lighter fluid and torched it Monday afternoon.
Deputy Police Chief Joe Ellenburg said employees and customers fled the business at U.S. 75 and El Dorado Blvd. before the building caught fire. Nobody was hurt.
When police arrived, Damon Cooper surrendered and was arrested. Authorities have not said how much damage the business sustained.
Cooper, 33, has a public Facebook page where he's written long-winded entries about being followed by Dollar Tree employees who have teamed with local law enforcement agencies. While police confirmed his previous employment, it's not clear how long he was on its payroll.
One photo on his Facebook features a homemade sign that reads:
"I am being followed, threatened, watched, set up, stalked, attempted to be committed, imprisoned, and much more by Dollar Trees Stores Inc., The Police Departments, The Fulton County Court, maybe more… This is a Federal Crime."
Cooper's face is in the foreground of another photo of a black sedan which, he writes, belongs to "a cop or Dollar Tree Stores security or Wal-Mart security" and has been spying on him.
Cooper also posted an arrest citation after he traveled to Washington D.C. and attempted to speak with Secret Service agents about this perceived threat.
"I had to be physically removed from the front of the white house entrance and here is my proof that I was up there as well," the post reads.
Cooper has been charged with Felony 2 Arson.
