Employees Charged with Setting Fire to Sonic
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JACKSON, Tenn. — Jackson police arrested two fast food employees Tuesday accused of setting their former workplace on fire. Dezeare Higgs, 18, and Kimberly Chalker, 31, face vandalism and arson charges. The Sonic on North Highland Avenue uses boards as a temporary fix. “They must have had a big argument with their employer,” said Angela Azevedo, a customer. “I mean obviously something was not right.” A Jackson judge formally charged Higgs and Chalker Wednesday with arson and vandalism in the April 2 fire. “We thought somebody might have left the grease on and it caught a fire, but to hear that somebody actually set it that worked here is very shocking,” said Azevedo. Police say surveillance video shows Chalker setting garbage inside a trash can on fire while Higgs watched. Officers say it happened at closing time. “At that point they set the alarm and left,” said Captain Tyreece Miller, with the Jackson Police Department. A Sonic supervisor did not want to make a comment, but did confirm both of the suspects are no longer employees. Officers estimate the fire caused about $2,000 worth of damage. “They need to definitely be punished,” Azevedo said. No one was injured in the fire. Both Higgs and Chalker are being held at the Madison County Detention Center in lieu of $25,000 bond. They are due back in court April 17. The restaurant remains open.
