Alaska State Troopers are searching for a man charged with shooting at and setting fire to a Funny River home in a dispute its occupants said might have started over firewood.
Sixty-two-year-old Ronald Beyering, of Soldotna, is wanted on charges of attempted murder, arson and criminal mischief.
Troopers said both residents of the home were able to escape unharmed, though according to a Facebook post, they are looking for pets missing since the incident.
Beyering was still at large as of Monday afternoon, and police are looking for information about his whereabouts.
Charging documents, filed in Kenai Superior Court Sunday, said one of the residents of the Funny River Road home called 911 Saturday just before midnight and said Beyering was shooting at her and her fiancé, who also lived at the residence.
Shortly after, her fiancé called 911 to report her house and gas tanks were on fire. She also said she saw Beyering shooting their home and vehicles.
Troopers arrived at the residence about 20 minutes later and witnessed gunshots, but as they approached through a wooded area, the shooting stopped and a car down the street drove away, according to the charges.
Troopers found the residents in a wooded lot nearby after they escaped from the flame engulfed home. One said she was hit by debris as bullets hit the house. The charges said troopers found a fuel can near the house.
The residents told troopers they had known Beyering for 20 or so years and said he had lived with them at their home last summer, for a month. They told troopers they thought he was going to kill them and that they thought he was upset over a dispute over firewood.
Troopers also said Beyering was also supposed to be on house arrest, but that his ankle monitor had been disabled earlier that day.
Troopers said Beyering stands 5 feet, 9 inches tall, weighs 140 pounds and has blond hair and blue eyes. He’s believed to be driving a maroon 2008 Ford Expedition with the license plate FLD670.
They said he should not be approached, as he might be armed and dangerous, and ask those with information to call Soldotna Dispatch Center at (907) 262-4453. As of a Monday afternoon update, they said they were still looking for Beyering both by air and ground.
