Officials: Austin Businessman Set 4 Fires Over Two-Month Period

Austin Businessman Faces Additional Arson Charges

An Austin car dealership businessman, Dorsey Bryan Hardeman, has landed in deeper legal troubles following continuous investigations into a series of fires in Austin. Hardeman, the established owner of Continental Automotive Group, had previously faced arson charges. However, recent findings from an investigation led by the Austin Fire Department unraveled additional crimes.

Owner of Continental Automotive Group Arrested Again

The 75-year-old businessman was re-arrested on Wednesday. Hardeman now faces not one, but four charges of arson along with a charge of burglary. His charges are in connection with multiple intentional fires in diverse locations across Austin, including North, South, and downtown areas. His initial arrest traces back to a fire incident on Feb. 25 at 400 Nueces St., which was previously the location of Mellow Johnny’s Bike Shop.

Evidence at the Crime Scene

Hardeman was considered a person of interest when another destructive fire broke out in South Austin on Feb. 20. However, it was the strenuous trace of indications and evidence left at the Feb. 25 fire scene that led to his first arrest. The former bike shop at 400 Nueces St. was found with metal filings and shavings on the ground beneath the door lock, insinuating that the lock was drilled out.

Incriminating Surveillance Footage

Adding to the overwhelming pile of evidence was the surveillance footage captured at 3:45 p.m. on the day of the fire. The footage, disquietingly, showed an older white male, donning a ball cap and glasses with dark lenses as well as black knee brace sleeves on each knee, entering the doomed building. The unidentified male suspiciously poured liquid from a gasoline can for approximately ten minutes, leading authorities to believe this was the destructive arsonist.

Additional Fires Linked

As the investigation thickened, law enforcement officials unearthed Hardeman’s involvement in three other fires. These fires occurred at 4811 S. Congress Ave. on Feb. 17 and 20, and another on Dec. 25, 2023, at 500 Pampa Drive. Astoundingly, all four fires occurred on properties associated with Hardeman’s purchasing interests or business developments.

Motives and Trails

According to officials, Hardeman allegedly set the fires to the remaining two mobile homes to expedite the clearance of the property. These constructions were postulated to be obstacles in the businessman’s plans of real estate sale or property development.

Caught on Camera: The Final Evidence

The final nail in the coffin came with a video handed over to the law enforcement agency by an insurance company. The video, shockingly, showed Hardeman in the act of setting the fire at 500 Pampa Drive on March 8.

Legal Defenses and Future Proceedings

Upon reaching out, Hardeman’s attorney, Samuel Bassett, stated that they had not yet been granted access to the investigation’s facts or findings. Hence, it would be inconclusive for them to comment or counter the charges presented. They anticipate access to the state’s file to begin working on Hardeman’s defense. Mr. Hardeman is set to make his first court appearance on April 30, and is currently held hostage at the Travis County Jail on three bonds totaling $120,000.