TIVERTON — James Lapre, 24, of 320 Hurst Lane, Tiverton, was arraigned in Fall River District Court Monday on charges that he obstructed justice by lying to and misleading police in connection with the murder of Andrew Taylor of Freetown.

Mr. Lapre is being held in jail pending payment of $50,000 cash bail. A pretrial hearing is scheduled for Feb. 19.

The body of Mr. Taylor, 25, was found by police last Friday at Big Wheels Towing in Freetown after staff there reported discovering it in the trunk of a rental car they were inspecting that had been abandoned in Fall River and had been towed to Big Wheels earlier in the day. Mr. Lapre had reportedly been seen hours earlier in the area near where the car had been abandoned.

The exact time of Mr. Taylor’s death has not been made public. On Jan. 23 his family said he was missing, the day after he was reportedly last seen at Mr. Lapre’s home.

Officials said Sunday that Mr. Taylor’s body was undergoing an autopsy and toxicology screen by the medical examiner’s office. No results have yet been announced.

Mr. Lapre was charged with obstruction in the Fall River police station after he had been brought there for questioning, according to Gregg Miliote, a spokesman for Bristol County District Attorney Sam Sutter.

According to reports, before invoking his rights to remain silent, Mr. Lapre responded to questions by police, answers that allegedly included false information about a .22 rifle he reportedly owned. Preliminary reports from investigators identify the weapon used to kill Mr. Taylor as a .22 caliber.

Last fall, in an incident involving Mr. Lapre, Tiverton police reportedly determined that Mr. Lapre possessed a .22 rifle.

In late October, Mr. Lapre was charged with disorderly conduct and with threatening to place a bomb in a public place (a felony) after police conducted a search of his residence and discovered what they said were makeshift bomb-making materials. They also found a .22 rifle in his home.

Until his Monday arraignment for obstruction, Mr. Lapre had been out on bail in connection with last fall’s charges.

The October incident, according to police, came about after Mr. Lapre had invited a co-worker to his home, where the co-worker saw on a table a section of PVC pipe, nails, and other materials, that the co-worker had lifted and later described as heavy.

When the co-worker asked what the pipe and materials were for, according to police reports, Mr. Lapre told him that he was going to leave the bomb at their boss’ place of business if he was laid off.

The co-worker told the employer, who reported the matter to Tiverton police, who assembled an estimated 30-40 law enforcement officials from over half a dozen local, state, and federal agencies.

As Tiverton police Lieutenant Patrick Jones described the enforcement action last fall, Tiverton police officers and detectives, representatives from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Rhode Island State Police, the Rhode Island Fire Marshall’s office, the Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency (RIEMA), and tactical and bomb squad units, all assembled on Hurst Lane. Armed with a search warrant they surrounded Mr. Lapre’s residence.

Inside they found bomb-type materials, but no explosive elements, said Lt. Jones, and the .22 rifle. The bomb materials were destroyed at the scene by bomb squad members.

The lieutenant said that when questioned last fall, Mr. Lapre admitted what he’d said to the co-worker, but told police that he intended it as a joke.

The current incident involving Mr. Lapre also reportedly involves allegations concerning the sale of prescription drugs.

Tiverton Police Chief Thomas Blakey said the investigation into Mr. Taylor’s death and surrounding circumstances is ongoing, with participation by multiple jurisdictions, and that no further information about the matter is yet being disclosed.