Dustin Machen, Jonesborough, Washington County, Tennessee man charged with attempted murder of his mother and arson after parent evicted son. Man faced previous charges of domestic violence against parent.
A Tennessee man is accused of attacking his mother and setting her home on fire after evicting her own son. The incident led to the woman suffering burn injuries with Washington County authorities now alleging the son had attempted to kill his mother.
Appearing in a Jonesborough court on Friday, Dustin Machen, 32, of Gray, TN, faced charges of attempted first-degree murder, attempted especially aggravated kidnapping, aggravated arson, aggravated burglary, and interference with a 911 call.
Machen’s bond was set at $2 million. His preliminary hearing was set for April 23.
Prior domestic violence charge
Deputies were called to the residence on South Pickens Bridge Road on the morning of April 9, 2026, following reports of a person and a house on fire. When they arrived on scene, the home was already fully engulfed in flames.
According to investigators, the victim told police that her son poured gasoline on her and the house as she was trying to leave. She also alleged Machen destroying her cell phone to prevent her from calling for help.
The parent was able to escape the burning home and run to a neighbor’s house, where she contacted authorities. She suffered burns to her arms but was flown to a hospital where she is being treated and expected to survive, WJHL reported.
Officials say the situation escalated during an eviction process. Sheriff Keith Sexton stated that the woman was attempting to remove her son from the home when he initially left, then returned with gasoline and carried out the attack.
‘Deputies happened to see him,’ Sexton said. ‘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.’
Sexton said Machen has previous domestic violence charges relating to his mother.
Washington County, Tennessee, is located in the northeastern part of the state.
