MH woman charged after reportedly setting bus on fire in Dora in July ‘23

Taylor Haden, 27, of Mountain Home, Arkansas, was arraigned in Ozark County court on Monday in a case in which she’s charged with two felony counts of knowingly burning and property damage in connection with allegations that she set a privately-owned bus on fire near Dora, causing thousands of dollars worth of damage of horse tack.

According to the probable cause statement, prepared by Ryan C. Boyle with the Missouri Fire Marshal’s office, on July 1, 2023, Haden intentionally set a fire around and in a privately-owned bus parked at a property in Dora. The bus was not operational, the report says, but it was being used as storage by the owner.

The bus contained several items of horse tack including a Hereford roping saddle with an estimated value of $750, leather horse tack valued at $200, a horse blanket valued at $200, spurs valued at $80 and various items of clothing, pictures and other belongings that had belonged to the victim’s deceased father, valued at $200. The value of the belongings qualified for the felony charge or property damage.

On Feb. 6, a witness at the Ozark County Sheriff’s Department told officers that he’d seen Haden drive onto the property in a white Chevrolet Tahoe, walk to the back of the property where the bus was parked and light the fire. Haden was arrested in the case on Feb. 17 and is being held in the Ozark County Jail on a $1,500 cash-only bond.