Man sentenced for reckless burning

EPHRATA — On Aug. 31, Phillip G. Osborne was sentenced for helping his friend set a fire at a Valley Road Northeast construction site in 2007.

Osborne, 20, Moses Lake, pleaded guilty to reckless burning in the first degree. Grant County Superior Court Judge Evan Sperline sentenced him to 232 hours of community service and part of $22,436 in restitution.

Osborne, along with Dustin D. Jones, 20, and a juvenile, reportedly snuck into the site of Jones’ ex-girlfriends’ new home in December, 2007. Jones reportedly set a fire in the house. They fled and waited in a nearby vehicle, according to a Moses Lake Police report.

After waiting and not seeing a fire, the men went and picked up newspaper to start the fire. They returned to the scene and lit the newspaper, starting a fire in the entryway of the building, according to the police report. This time the fire ignited, causing damage to the entryway and staircase area.

Jones reportedly started the fire as a way to punish his ex-girlfriend because she started dating someone else. He sent several threatening text messages to her cell phone, according to the police report.

Police found three sets of footprints near the cyclone fence closing off the construction site, They matched one of the sets with Jones’ shoes, according to the police report.

Jones previously pleaded guilty to arson in the second degree and burglary in the second degree and was sentenced to six months in jail. He also has to pay part of the restitution.