Linn County Sheriff Bruce Riley reports that Joshua Lee Laub, 29, a transient of Lebanon, was arrested on May 24, 2018, at about 6:00 a.m., in connection to a fire that occurred at a residence in the 300 block of Russell Street in Lebanon. The Linn County Sheriff’s Office 9-1-1 Center received a call regarding the fire on February 07, 2018, at 8:05 p.m., The Lebanon Fire Department extinguished the fire and fire investigators determined the cause was arson.
Detectives of the Linn County Sheriff’s Office conducted the criminal investigation. It was determined the residence was in foreclosure and nobody was living there at the time of the fire. The damage to the residence as a result of the fire was in excess of $75, 000. Investigators were able to identify Laub as a person of interest in the fire after receiving tips from the public. Ultimately Laub was interviewed and confessed to starting the fire.
Joshua Laub was arrested and charged with Arson I and Criminal Mischief I.