A 25-year-old Saint Paul man is facing a second-degree arson charge after prosecutors say he crouched behind a cardboard display of pajama sets and set it on fire inside a West Saint Paul Walmart while customers and employees were still inside the store. John Ellie Bayson Mindanao was charged in Dakota County District Court in connection with the September 28, 2026, fire, which store employees managed to put out with fire extinguishers before it could spread.
According to a criminal complaint cited by MN Crime, Walmart loss prevention employees first reported a fire in the clothing section to the store's internal police desk inside the Robert Street location. Responding officers reported seeing a large cloud of smoke and haze hanging over the clothing area when they arrived.
Surveillance Footage Allegedly Traces the Moments Before the Fire
Investigators reviewed surveillance footage that, per the complaint, showed a man selecting and opening a pack of lighters near the front of the store before walking back toward the clothing area. The footage reportedly then showed him crouching behind the cardboard display box and using the lighter to ignite it, before leaving the area as smoke began rising from the display, according to the same complaint.
Officers located Mindanao outside the store and placed him in handcuffs, per the complaint. He was later brought to the store's loss prevention area, where officers removed the handcuffs. The complaint states that Mindanao admitted to starting the fire and told officers the lighter would be found under the display box; officers say they recovered it from that location, matching details separately reported by Limitless News, which noted that the complaint accuses Mindanao of intentionally starting the fire while customers and employees were inside the store.
No Injuries Reported, Damage Estimated at Just Over $2,000
No injuries were reported in connection with the fire, per the complaint. Walmart loss prevention staff estimated the initial property damage at $2,072, the same outlet reported.
Mindanao was charged with one count of second-degree arson, a charge that, per Limitless News, falls under Minnesota Statute 609.562. A low-confidence excerpt of that statute reviewed from the Minnesota Revisor of Statutes describes second-degree arson as unlawfully and intentionally damaging a building not covered under a separate arson statute, or other real or personal property valued at more than $1,000, by fire or explosives; the current, full text of the statute as it applies in 2026 was not independently verified.
Where the Case Will Be Heard
Dakota County, which sits immediately south of Saint Paul and is Minnesota's third-largest county by population, handles felony prosecutions like this one through the Dakota County Attorney's Office under the state's First Judicial District. Cases are heard at the Dakota County Judicial Center in Hastings, Minnesota.
