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@peninsulaclarion.com.
