Peabody man charged in arson try

Dec. 9--PEABODY -- A Peabody man is facing arson charges after authorities say he set fire to his Main Street apartment in a possible attempt to collect insurance money.

Teandre Moore, 33, of 1 Main St., was arrested Tuesday and set to be arraigned Wednesday in Peabody District Court on charges of attempting to burn a building, burning personal property to defraud an insurer, malicious destruction of property and attempting to disable a fire alarm system.

The fire earlier this month was found to have started in a wastebasket in the bathroom, investigators with the Peabody Fire Department and the state fire marshal's office said in a press release. Moore had allegedly disabled the fire alarm in the apartment, which is located in a 20-unit building, prior to setting the fire. Investigators said there were no possible accidental ignition sources.

Investigators said Moore had recently been notified of eviction proceedings for non-payment of rent, and had recently obtained a renter's insurance policy.

Peabody fire Chief Joseph Daly said Moore could have hurt others. "Setting fire in a 20-unit apartment building, attempting to disable the fire alarms and then leaving, put every other resident in harm's way," Daly said. "Fortunately this fire stayed small, but all fires start small and can grow extremely fast."

Peabody police Chief Thomas Griffin credited investigators, which included his department's detectives, for working quickly to identify a suspect.

"The team worked quickly and effectively to solve this case," Griffin said in a press release. "Many people may be facing similar difficult situations but setting a fire is not the answer."

Griffin said those facing a housing crisis can reach out to programs like North Shore Community Action for help.

Courts reporter Julie Manganis can be reached at 978-338-2521, by email at [email protected] or on Twitter at @SNJulieManganis.

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