ST CHARLES, Mo. — A former employee, who admitted in December to attacking a St. Charles restaurant with a Molotov cocktail in 2021, was sentenced Wednesday to five years in prison.
According to a press release, 25-year-old Rashaad Cotton, of St. Louis County, pleaded guilty in the United States District Court in St. Louis to a felony charge of attempting to commit arson in December 2022.
Cotton admitted to throwing a Molotov cocktail on a residential street in a suburban area in St. Charles at about 6:30 p.m. on April 30, 2021.
Assistant U.S. Attorney John Ware said in court that 20 minutes later, Cotton threw a Molotov cocktail on the northeast side of the Sauce on the Side restaurant on Beale Street. Then, he threw another near the front door.
According to Cotton’s plea agreement, a teenage female with Cotton threw a Molotov cocktail at a patio area. The pair then ran back to Cotton’s car and sped away but crashed into a curb.
Cotton also faces pending charges in St. Charles County Circuit Court related to the attack.
The restaurant was open and serving customers at the time.
Cotton told police that he had been fired from the restaurant the night before and wanted to scare people.
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