Suspected_murderer denied bond
By NICHOLAS LEDDEN / The Daily Inter Lake
A man suspected of the December murder of a Ferndale man was ordered held without bond during an appearance Thursday in Lake County Justice Court.
Ronald Lon Petersen, 19, arrived in Lake County on Tuesday night from Cumberland County, N.C., to face deliberate homicide charges in the Dec. 31 shooting death of Clyde Wilson, 24.
Petersen is scheduled to be arraigned in District Court on Feb. 13.
Authorities allege Petersen, of Bigfork, broke into Wilson
A man suspected of the December murder of a Ferndale man was ordered held without bond during an appearance Thursday in Lake County Justice Court.
Ronald Lon Petersen, 19, arrived in Lake County on Tuesday night from Cumberland County, N.C., to face deliberate homicide charges in the Dec. 31 shooting death of Clyde Wilson, 24.
Petersen is scheduled to be arraigned in District Court on Feb. 13.
Authorities allege Petersen, of Bigfork, broke into Wilson's Meadow Creek Road cabin on the morning of Jan. 31 and shot him three times with a semi-automatic pistol.
Petersen, who is in the U.S. Army, was arrested Jan. 27 at Fort Bragg Army Base near Fayetteville, N.C., and was extradited back to Montana.
According to court documents, Wilson's girlfriend, 20-year-old Raney Frick, called 911 at about 5:30 a.m. on Dec. 31 to report someone had just shot Wilson and fled the scene.
During interviews with police, Frick said she had fallen asleep watching movies in the living room the night before the shooting. Wilson was reportedly lying next to her.
Awakened by the sound of gunshots, Frick told police she saw an intruder standing in the room and then bolt through the back door.
Investigators, who recovered several shell casings from the scene, believe the shooter, who was wearing a dark-colored ski cap, may have broken through the cabin's back door. Frick's 5-month-old infant also was at the home at the time of the incident.
On Jan. 26, authorities received a tip from Petersen's brother, Ryon Gates. Gates told investigators Petersen confessed to the crime and described details about the shooting not released to the public. Petersen also showed Gates the gun he used and said it belonged to Bigfork resident Zachary Forkin, 19.
Deputies searched Forkin's Marken Loop Road home, but were unable to find the pistol. Investigators did recover the gun's case, holster, a black ski mask, and a test-fired casing that came with the pistol. Forkin eventually admitted he had loaned the pistol - which actually belonged to his mother - to Petersen, according to court records.
Forkin also was questioned in connection with the shooting, but has not been charged. Petersen reportedly stayed with Forkin in Bigfork while he was on leave from the Army.
Investigators have not released the reason why Petersen allegedly killed Wilson, but ruled out robbery early into the investigation.
Following a tip, divers braved the icy waters of the Swan River on Jan. 29 in an effort to locate the gun investigators believe was used in the shooting. Petersen is believed to have dismantled the gun and thrown it into the river from the Bridge Street bridge in Bigfork.
But after more than four hours of scouring the river bottom, divers were unable to locate any pieces of the weapon. A preliminary search of the river the day before also failed to reveal any results.
Investigators said they will suspend the search until Petersen is brought to the scene to more accurately point out where he allegedly tossed the gun from his vehicle.
Reporter Nicholas Ledden can be reached at 758-4441 or by e-mail at nledden@dailyinterlake.com