Man Charged in Child Abduction Also Suspect in Fenton House Explosion

Ryan Beckler, who just last week stole a Jeep with a baby inside in Imperial, may be connected with a July 6 house explosion on the very same street where he lives.

The man charged with stealing a Jeep with a baby inside on Nov. 14 from a gas station in Imperial is the same man suspected of blowing up a house July 6 near his own home on Palatine Court in Fenton. Ryan Beckler, 21, of the 2200 block of Palatine Court, has been charged in Jefferson County with stealing a motor vehicle, kidnapping-facilitating a felony and endangering the welfare of a child. There also are several charges pending in the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney's office in connection with a house explosion July 6 in Fenton. Charges, including arson in the first degree, arson in the second degree, destruction of property and resisting arrest by flight, were applied for on July 24, the date Beckler was released from Mercy …

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"It Woke Up the Whole Neighborhood"

Palatine Court house explosion in Fenton leaves neighborhood strewn with debris.

'It Woke up the Whole Neighborhood'

Palatine Court house explosion in Fenton leaves neighborhood strewn with debris.

Firefighters from the Fenton Fire Protection District and several other departments were sorting through the wreckage of a vacant home that exploded around 5 a.m. Friday morning on Palatine Court in Fenton. The street is north of Highway 141 and west of Bowles Avenue. "It woke up the whole neighborhood," said Bob Regan, an across-the-street neighbor, who said the blast knocked some pictures off the wall in his home. The exploded house recently had been rehabbed and was up for sale. A neighbor said the owners had moved from the home just two days ago. A "for sale" sign was still in the front yard. The blast quickly led to a fire that engulfed the house. Fenton firefighters arrived on the scene at 5 a.m. View a gallery of the fire and …

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