NORTHAMPTON - Lawyers for suspected arsonist Anthony Baye pleaded not guilty on his behalf Tuesday to six new felony charges alleging he lied to police.

Baye, 26, of 85 Hawley St., is awaiting trial on numerous charges related a string of suspicious fires Dec. 27, 2009, including one where two people were trapped in their house and killed. He did not appear in court Tuesday.

Hampshire Superior Court Judge Daniel Ford set bail at $100 for the new charges. Baye is currently held without bail on the others.

Authorities allege Baye lied about his actions on the morning of the fires in six separate encounters with police, including two traffic stops and three subsequent interviews at the police station.

The defense and prosecution are set to square off in November before the state's Supreme Judicial Court over whether a jury should be allowed to watch recordings of Baye's 10-hour police interrogation. Defense lawyers David Hoose and Thomas Lesser maintain the tapes shouldn't be shown at trial because police used coercion and Baye's statements weren't voluntary.

- JAMES F. LOWE