Son arrested after he allegedly lights dad’s apartment on fire in Macon, deputies say

A Macon resident was arrested Tuesday over a week after he allegedly lit his dad’s apartment on fire, according to an incident report and the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office.

Witnesses alleged the son, 21-year-old Jacobey Deshawn Burley, also fired a gun, struck a neighbor with a machete and stole a car, according to the incident report.

Deputies were dispatched to a 911 call about a domestic dispute around 6 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 19, at a duplex on the 1000 block of Boulevard and North Avenue in Macon.

When deputies arrived, the apartment was “fully engulfed in fire,” according to the incident report.

The father told deputies that Burley “kicked in the door,” while brandishing a gun and machete, the incident report said. The father was seen with a cut on his head.

The father and another family member ran to a neighbor’s apartment and Burley followed them inside “trying to hurt them,” deputies said in the report.

The neighbor told deputies Burley hit her with a machete, stole her purse and “repeatedly attempted to fire the gun inside her apartment but no bullets came out,” according to the report. A deputy later found her barricaded in a bedroom with a “large lump and cut on her left arm.”

Burley allegedly ran back to his dad’s apartment, set it on fire, then stole the neighbor’s car, police said.

The stolen car was found the next day at Burley’s mother’s house.

No life-threatening injuries were reported, Sgt. Christopher Williams told The Telegraph.

The sheriff’s office asked for the public’s assistance Monday to locate Burley after several warrants were out for his arrest.

He was arrested at a residence on the 1000 block of Burke Street, near Houston Avenue, and taken to the Bibb County Law Enforcement Center and held without bond Tuesday.

Burley was charged with arson, aggravated assault, felony and misdemeanor theft by taking, second-degree criminal damage to property and probation violation.

This story was originally published January 29, 2025 at 3:16 PM.