Kenai resident arrested on charges of arson

Published 9:30 pm Monday, March 11, 2024

A Kenai resident was arrested on Thursday after Kenai Police and Kenai Fire Department responded to a structure fire near Mountain View Elementary.

Shane Ludvick, 39, was charged with second-degree domestic violence arson for a fire that took place around 2 p.m. on March 7, according to a dispatch from the Kenai Police Department.

A criminal complaint included in court documents says that a Kenai Police officer was traveling on the Kenai Spur Highway when he saw “a large amount of black smoke” coming from a home. Upon arriving, the smoke was tracked to a shed that was “being used as a residence” and “fully engulfed in flames.”

Ludvick was seen leaving the property, but later returned. The complaint says that Ludvick told police he had started the fire using a lighter — which he provided to officers — and a gas can that was still on scene.

The building that had been on fire was owned by Ludvick’s mother, according to the complaint.

Per Alaska State Statute, a charge of second-degree arson describes the alleged crime of intentionally damaging a building by starting a fire or explosion.

Ludvick was arraigned on Friday and is scheduled for a bail hearing on Wednesday.

Reach reporter Jake Dye at jacob.dye@cmg-northwest2.go-vip.net/peninsulaclarion.