Prominent Austin businessman may be connected to four arson cases

Austin car dealership owner Dorsey Bryan Hardeman was arrested on February 29 and charged with felony arson and burglary of a building for a fire he allegedly started at the former Mellow Johnny’s Bike Shop in downtown Austin on Nueces Street. Now he’s being investigated for three other fires set in February, according to the Austin Fire Department. 

Although the investigation remains active, AFD said “we are aware of four incidents and we’re not ruling anything out at this point.”

Fox 7 Austin reports that Hardeman is being sued by local real estate investor Nate Paul. According to bankruptcy filing obtained by Fox 7 Austin, Paul used to own the property on South Congress where the first two fires were set.    

The two other fires that investigators have connected Hardeman to occurred on February 25. The first happened in the 4900 block of South Congress Avenue, where firefighters battled a two-alarm blaze at an abandoned commercial building for more than five hours, shutting down parts of South Congress Avenue in the process. 

The last fire, located in the 400 block of Nueces Street, was the one that Austin police initially arrested Hardeman for on the arson and burglary charges. Hardeman was taken to the Travis County Jail but eventually posted his $10,000 bail. His trial is set for April 30, according to Fox 7 Austin.