KY father charged with deadly arson asks to attend funerals. ‘Those are my boys’
A Frankfort father charged with arson in a fire that killed his two teenage sons at his first court appearance Monday morning requested release to attend their funerals.
Dustin Fields,43, was charged with first-degree arson May 1 after the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office said he started a fire at his home on Flat Creek Road in a rural part of the county one day earlier.
The sons have not been identified.
No decision was made about whether Fields could attend his sons’ funerals, and it was unclear if a date had been set for the children’s memorial service. A judge will rule on the request later.
According to Fields’ arrest citation, he knew his sons were inside the home when he started the fire. He used an accelerant to start it, according to his arrest citation.
A Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives K-9 detected the accelerant on Fields’ shoes and at various locations of the home, including where the boys were found.
Fields asked a judge Monday during his district court arraignment if he could attend the boys’ funerals.
“Those are my boys,” Fields said to Judge Chris Olds.
Olds appointed a public defender to represent Fields. Olds asked if Fields had any money or real estate.
“I did, but it just went up in flames,” Fields replied. “It’s nothing but grass and a garage.”
A public defender entered a not guilty plea on Fields’ behalf, which is standard in early district court proceedings.
Olds kept Field’s bond at $2 million. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for 1 p.m. on May 13.
Fields’ wife filed for a restraining order recently
On March 24, Fields’ spouse filed a restraining order against him for herself and the couple’s 3-year-old child, according to court documents. The order said Fields abused her between Dec. 25, 2020, and March.
The court ordered Fields not to contact his spouse and the child and to stay 500 feet away from them, according to court documents.
The Herald-Leader is not identifying the woman because she may be a victim of domestic abuse, according to court documents.
A GoFundMe fundraiser has been created for the woman and her child. The fundraiser’s organizer, Christina Means, who described herself as a close friend of Fields’ wife, wrote in the fundraiser’s description that the wife and her child left their home in December 2024 after an incident of domestic violence.
She wasn’t able to take the teens who died in the fire, described as her stepchildren, because their only biological connection was to Dustin Fields, according to the GoFundMe fundraiser.
A court date was scheduled in March for the restraining order, but it was delayed several times, after Frankfort was hit with devastating flooding.
It’s now set for May 7, according to the GoFundMe fundraiser.
The fundraiser’s goal is to raise $100,000. The money will be used to rebuild the home and replace essential items.
There is also a Meal Train set up for the wife that has raised $220.
“She and her preschool-age son now face the enormous challenge of rebuilding their lives from absolutely nothing,” the GoFundMe fundraiser organizer wrote. “We are asking for your compassion and support to help (her) and her son find hope and stability again.”
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correct Dustin Fields’ age.
This story was originally published May 5, 2025 at 11:15 AM.
