Tennessee man allegedly set his mom on fire when she tried to evict him
04/10/2026 1:53 pm PDT
WASHINGTON COUNTY, Tenn. (TCN) -- A 32-year-old man has been arrested and charged with attempted first-degree murder after allegedly setting his mother and her house on fire.
The Washington County Sheriff’s Office announced that on April 9, deputies responding to a report of arson found a home engulfed in flames. Authorities spoke to the victim, whose name has not been released, who said she had been in the process of evicting her son, Dustin Tayler Machen. As she was trying to leave the house, he allegedly threw gasoline on her and her house and allegedly destroyed her cellphone to prevent her from calling for help. The victim made it to a neighbor’s house, where she called 911.
Police say the victim was treated for burns on her arms, and Machen was taken into custody.
WJHL reports Machen was located in a nearby field, allegedly watching the fire. He was taken into custody and charged with attempted first-degree murder, attempted kidnapping, aggravated arson, aggravated burglary, and interference with a 911 call, according to police.
According to Washington County Sheriff Keith Sexton, Machen has previous domestic violence charges relating to his mother,
WJHL reports. He was found not guilty by reason of insanity for those charges, per Johnson City Press.
At his first court appearance on April 10, Machen’s bond was set at $2 million and his preliminary hearing was set for April 23, WCYB reports.
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