A woman who set fire to a restaurant on Union Avenue in February 2024 has been convicted of arson and related charges, announced the Kern County District Attorney's Office.

On June 4, 2025, Alicia Thornton was found guilty by a Kern County jury of arson, possessing flammable material, and using an incendiary device with the intent to set fire to a structure. The jury also determined that Thornton caused an inhabited structure to burn using a device designed to accelerate the fire.

On February 27, 2024, officers from the Bakersfield Police Department responded to a call of an arson in progress at the Crab in a Bag restaurant on Union Avenue. Officers and employees managed to extinguish a small fire on the exterior of the business. Employees reported that Thornton had been asked to leave t

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