Seven Nebraskans federally indicted in Alabama for a plot to start fires at Walmart stores in the South are set for sentencing after entering guilty pleas in the case.
Sean Bottorff and his wife, Jenna Bottorff, and Erica Sikes made their court appearances this week in Mobile, Alabama.
Erica Sikes’ husband, Jeffery Sikes, and Alexander Olson entered pleas last week.
Each face a minimum of five years in prison and a maximum of 20 for their part in the scheme.
Michael Bottorff entered his plea Monday. He faces a maximum term of five years. As does Quinton Olson, who pleaded guilty in September.
All of the seven have ties to Kearney.
In the indictment, prosecutors say they all participated in meetings and drafted a “Declaration of War.”
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Christopher Bodnar, Assistant United States Attorney, said in it they referenced malicious fires set by a group called The Veterans Order, which sought to make demands on Walmart related to the company’s commercial practices, “and threatens further malicious fires if Walmart Inc. does not comply with the demands.”
Bodnar didn’t specify which commercial practices the group opposed.
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The indictment details arsons at a Walmart in Mobile, Alabama, on May 27, 2021, a store in Tillman’s Corner, Alabama, on May 28, and at stores in Gulfport and Biloxi, Mississippi, on June 4.
According to Bodnar, they tried to set racks of clothing and other materials on fire. In-store security camera footage and cellphone data tracked their movements.
Bodnar said they bought a burner phone to take photos of a six-page manifesto titled “Declaration of War and Demands for the People,” which they sent to media outlets.
First among their list of demands was a pay increase of $18 per hour for all employees, according to Fox 10, a TV station in Mobile, which posted it.
In the Alabama incidents, court records say, Sikes was using the alias of Kenneth Allen while living in Gulf Shores. Sean Bottorff, also known as Sean McFarland, is Sikes’ brother-in-law and disappeared at the same time as Sikes, his wife and Bottorff’s wife, Jenna.
Michael Bottorff is Sean Bottorff’s stepson, according to records.
The indictment says that at the time of the fires, they all were living in a rental house in Lillian, an unincorporated community in Alabama.
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Most dangerous cities in Nebraska
Dangerous Cities in Nebraska
See how your hometown ranks among the most dangerous cities in Nebraska. Ratings have been determined according to the number of violent crimes per 1,000 people in cities of at least 10,000, with violent crime being classified as murder, forcible rape, robbery and aggravated assault. The numbers are for 2019, the most recent year for which the FBI provides data.
6. South Sioux City
With 30 violent crimes in 2019 and a population of 12,771 (the smallest on our list), the city in northeast Nebraska had 2.35 violent crimes per 1,000 people.
Photo: An RV park in South Sioux City on the Missouri River.
5. Scottsbluff
The city of 15,862 had 53 violent crimes for a rate of 3.34 per 1,000 in 2019.
Photo: Gering Police Officer Jordan McBride talks with Scottsbluff Police Officer Michael Modeac as he puts up crime scene tape at the scene of an armed standoff in Scottsbluff in June 2021.
4. North Platte
With a population of 23,705 and 89 violent crimes, the city had a rate of 3.75 per 1,000.
Photo: Union Pacific train engines line up outside a service building in North Platte.
3. Lincoln
The Star City had a population of 291,128 with 1,115 violent crimes, a rate of 3.83 per 1,000.
Photo: Police in Lincoln investigate a shooting near the intersection of 14th and E streets in August 2019.
2. Grand Island
With a population of 51,821 and 236 violent crimes, the largest of the Tri Cities had a 2019 rate of 4.55 per 1,000 people.
Photo: Grand Island police and State Patrol personnel investigate after a body was found in a Grand Island yard in August 2020.
1. Omaha
In 2019, the state’s largest city at 470,481 people had 2,833 violent crimes for a rate of 6.13 per 1,000.
Photo: Omaha police and University Police guard the entrance to the Nebraska Medicine Emergency room after an Omaha police officer was shot at Westroads Mall in March 2021.
A note about the numbers
With eight violent crimes in 2019, Boys Town topped the state at 13.82 per 1,000 people, which is a misleading stat because it only had a 2019 population of 579.
Photo: The statue at the entrance to Boys Town. It doesn’t take much to skew the numbers.
Reach the writer at 402-473-7237 or lpilger@journalstar.com.
On Twitter @LJSpilger
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