Police say Terry Rogers, Jr., 23, set his stepdad's truck on fire after an argument last fall.
DILLINGHAM: An arrest warrant has been issued for 23-year-old Terry Rogers, Jr, who police allege torched a 1986 Ford F-250 truck belonging to his stepfather Steve Aikins. The arson happened on Gauthier Way in the early hours of October 9. Three propane bottles, one with a torch attached, were left in the back of the burnt truck and are believed the source of the fire.
At the time, Aikins and police wondered if the arson was related to a spike in drug activity in town.
"I only see two options," Aikins said at a public meeting shortly after the arson. "Either that fire was drug-related, or it was someone who was just really really mad at me."
Police think it was the latter.
Aikins and Rogers, Jr., had been in a fight the day before, and Aikins had kicked the young man out of the house, according to police. After the arson, officers found Rogers, Jr., in a tent at the boat harbor, and noticed soot on his hands. He said the soot was from loading a friend's wood stove, and he had been in the tent all night.
Police continued to investigate several leads relating to the propane bottles and the whereabouts of other possible suspects. The investigation narrowed in on Rogers, Jr., who had relocated to Anchorage. In March, another individual told police that Rogers had fessed up to the arson while the two were drinking in Anchorage.
Police then obtained an arrest warrant on a charge of third degree arson, a class C felony. As of Tuesday morning, Rogers, Jr., was not in police custody.
