Suspect enters not guilty plea for alleged Taunton arson

Added: 2026-05-06

[00:00:00]A Taunton man has been arrested and charged with attempted murder after a fire in a multi-family home this morning. Thank you for joining us. I'm Mike Montecalvo.

[00:00:07]>> And I'm Kim Colvin and crews responded around 7:00 to find heavy smoke and flames coming from the second story.

[00:00:14]Just moments ago, the man accused of starting all of this appeared in court.

[00:00:18]Our Sofia Zavo joins us live now with what happened. Sofia?

[00:00:24]Well, Mike and Kim, his name is Jeffrey Powers and he has had quite a day. We just saw him stand in front of a judge after prosecutors say he lit his apartment on fire less than 12 hours ago. Now, take a look. This is what the 47-year-old looked like in court just moments ago. He appeared on edge and even asked his lawyer for some medical attention, telling her he hasn't had a chance to wash his hands yet. A not guilty plea was entered on his behalf to a charge of arson. It's stemming from this blaze around 7:00 this morning. The flames ripping through that second floor and black smoke puffing from the roof.

[00:01:01]Crews rescued three tenants from the burning building, which the chief says is a total loss. Now, the tenants are unharmed and being assisted by the Red Cross. The second floor of their building now charred and the home is surrounded by debris. Now, Powers is being held without bail. He is expected to get a psychological evaluation tomorrow. The Taunton police and fire department say they are also pursuing an attempted murder charge. Reporting live in Taunton, Sofia Zavo, 12