Two Bigfork teenagers arrested in connection with Ferndale homicide

Jennifer McBride / Leader Staff

Less than a month after the death of Ferndale resident Clyde Wilson, two men have been arrested in connection with his death.

The first man, Ronald Lon Peterson, 19, is a Bigfork resident who was stationed at Fort Bragg Army Base and is being held for extradition by North Carolina authorities.

County Attorney Mitch Young said Tuesday night that Peterson will be charged with deliberate homicide. Peterson won't be officially arraigned until he is returned to Montana. The second man, Zachary Forkin, also a 19-year-old Bigfork resident, was released Tuesday afternoon, without charges.

According to a press release from the Lake County Sheriff's office, detectives acted on an anonymous tip on Sunday. They searched a Ferndale residence and have been conducting several follow-up interviews.

The evidence obtained from the search and the interviews led to the arrests of Peterson and Forkin. Clyde Wilson, 24, died from multiple gunshot wounds in his residence at 28012 Meadow Creek Road. The Sheriff's Department responded to a 911 call at 5:38 a.m. on Dec. 31 reporting gunshots at Wilson's residence. Larson said the department considers to rule out robbery as a possible motive.

While Sheriff Larson declined to comment on the nature of the anonymous tip or the evidence which led to the arrests, he did say the Department planned to continue investigating, including interviewing more people and analyzing additional evidence.

Evidence in the case has previously been sent to the Missoula crime lab and the FBI.