Sheriff: Man tried to burn Rosalia church

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...