Man convicted of arson
By Lee Williams
Published in News on August 2, 2007 1:45 PM
A Mount Olive man was convicted Wednesday of second-degree arson for allegedly burning down his mobile home during a fight with his girlfriend.
Joseph Irven Powell Jr., 32, of Thunder Swamp Road, originally faced charges of first-degree arson, arson of a mobile home and assault on a female in connection with an Oct. 26 incident.
He was sentenced to 16 to 20 months in prison. He was also ordered to attend a drug treatment program and seek any other psychological or psychiatric evaluation and treatment available.
The arson charge stemmed from an allegation that Powell set fire to a mobile home he shared with his girlfriend.
The fire resulted in more than $30,000 in damages, investigators said.
Units from the Smith Chapel, Mount Olive and Dudley volunteer fire departments responded to the home to extinguish the blaze.