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Town of Beloit police seek two in arson case

BELOIT TOWNSHIP — Town of Beloit police are looking for two people in connection with a 2007 semitrailer tractor fire.

Police are searching for Ronnie L. Black, 41, and Shelley M. Black, 45. Their last known address is 1533 Jackson St., Beloit.

Arrest warrants charge both with party to arson with intent to defraud, a felony, according to Wisconsin online court records.

A similar warrant has been issued for Kenneth W. Black, 38, who is in custody in the Champaign County Correctional Center, Urbana, Ill. He has waived extradition and awaits transport to Wisconsin, according to a town of Beloit police press release.

The charges stem from an early morning fire in November 2007 in the 3900 block of Riverside Drive in Beloit Township. Police arrived and found an International semitrailer tractor owned by Ronnie Black fully engulfed in flames, according to the release.

Police found Ronnie and Kenneth walking north on Highway 51 near the fire. They told police the truck had broken down while they were driving from Janesville, according to the news release.

The two men provided other statements that later were proved untrue, according to the release.

Security camera footage from Around the Clock Restaurant, 6501 S. Highway 51, Janesville, showed Shelley and Kenneth seated together prior to the fire. Shelley later told police she had been in her Beloit home all night, according to police.

Investigators later learned the insurance for the semitrailer tractor had been increased shortly before the fire. The insurance far exceeded the value of the truck, according to the news release.

The town of Beloit police investigation found Ronnie also had an unrelated semitrailer tractor fire in February 2006 in the city of Beloit.

According to the release:

-- Ronnie Black is 6 feet 1 inch tall, weighs 215 pounds and has blue eyes and reddish-blond hair. He uses an alias of Ron Lyn Fergison.

-- Shelley Black is 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighs 220 pounds. She has blue eyes and brown hair. She has an alias of Shelley M. Quinn.

Anyone with information about the Blacks can call Rock County dispatchers at (608) 757-2244 or Beloit CrimeStoppers at (608) 362-7463.