Man Charged After Allegedly Setting Mother and Home on Fire

Dustin Machen, 32, of Gray, Tennessee, was arrested Thursday after he allegedly poured gasoline over his mother and her home on S. Pickens Bridge Road and set both on fire, according to the Washington County Sheriff's Office. The attack unfolded as the woman attempted to evict her son from the residence.

Washington County Sheriff Keith Sexton described what investigators believe happened: "She was in the process of evicting her son, Dustin Machen. At which time he left the residence, came back with a container of gasoline, proceeded to pour the gas on the victim and the house."

Before fleeing, Machen allegedly destroyed his mother's cellphone to prevent her from calling 911. Despite the burns she sustained to her arms, Karen Machen escaped the burning structure and ran to the nearby home of neighbor Jonathan Hawk, who had just returned from a late shift. "I came home from work, and I had been in bed for maybe an hour and I just heard a knock on the door," Hawk said.

Karen Machen was transported first to a local hospital, then flown to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville for treatment.

Deputies found Dustin Machen close to the scene. Sexton said a drone deployed during the response proved critical to locating him: "We had deployed a drone, which located a backpack that had some of his personal items and other things in there, but he was out in the field just watching the fire."

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation was called in to assist, along with a K9 unit, to document the scene.

Machen faces charges of attempted first-degree murder, attempted especially aggravated kidnapping, aggravated arson, aggravated burglary, and interference with a 911 call. Sheriff Sexton confirmed that officers had responded to the home on prior occasions for domestic-related incidents involving Machen and his mother, and court records show he has previous domestic charges tied to her.

Machen's arraignment is scheduled for Friday.