Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
ROSALIA — A local man was booked into the Whitman County Jail on Monday, Nov. 16, after allegedly attempting to burn down a church.
Samuel Owens, 45, will make his first appearance in Whitman County Superior Court on Tuesday afternoon.
He was arrested without incident and booked into the jail on charges of first-degree attempted arson, criminal trespass and malicious mischief, according to Whitman County Sheriff Brett J. Myers.
Deputies were called to Community Baptist Church, 818 N. Whitman Ave., for a man threatening to burn down the church, the sheriff reported.
A witness told deputies that the man was aggressive and irrational, Myers said. The witnes also reportedly watched the man pour suspected gasoline from a fuel container on to a door and porch at the church.
Arriving deputies located the suspect, later identified as Owens, attempting to break into one of the church doors, the sheriff said.
Roger Harnack is the co-owner/publisher of Free Press Publishing. Having grown up Benton City, Roger is an award-winning journalist, photographer, editor and publisher. He's one of only two editorial/commentary writers to ever receive the international Golden Quill. Roger is dedicated to the preservation of local media, and the voice it retains for Eastern Washington.
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