Sep 7, 2006 11:33 am US/Mountain
Authorities: Marine Staged Disappearance
Friend Arrested For False Reporting
by Shaun Boyd
BOULDER, Colo. (CBS4) ―
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Lance Hering, a Marine who was reported missing last week, is now accused of staging his disappearance according to Boulder County Sheriff's Department investigators.
CBS
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Steve Powers, 20, was arrested Wednesday night by the Boulder County Sheriff for false reporting. Investigators believed Powers helped his friend, Lance Hering, a United States Marine disappear.
CBS
A United States Marine who was reported missing last week after reportedly falling during a hike near Boulder allegedly staged his disappearance, Boulder County Sheriff's officials said Thursday morning.
Cmdr. Phil West told CBS4 Steve Powers, 20 of Boulder and the Marine's friend, was arrested for false reporting in the search for Lance Hering.
Powers told authorities he hiked out of Eldorado Canyon early last Wednesday morning, Aug. 30 after Hering fell while hiking. Powers had reportedly said they were hiking the night before when Hering fell.
Powers said he waited until Hering regained consciousness before going for help. When Powers and authorities returned, Hering wasn't to be found.
Powers was arrested late Wednesday night.
Investigators brought Powers in for an interview Wednesday when further investigation began to highlight discrepancies and inconsistencies in his story.
Powers' narrative regarding the timeline of events was improbable and left many questions unanswered, authorities said. Additionally, the repeated searches of the area where Hering was supposedly last seen, including several searches by canines, without any evidence turning up was deemed suspicious.
The discovery that Hering had access to $2,000 cash rather than being broke and had discussed "disappearing" in the past, fueled detectives' concerns.
Confronted by detectives with the inconsistencies in his story, Powers ultimately admitted that he had assisted Hering with staging his disappearance. The motive for Hering's disappearance appears to be his reluctance to return to duty as a Marine.
Hering's whereabouts remain unknown, though Powers provided a number of clues that investigators and military official were following up on. According to Marine Corps officials, Hering is currently classified as "unauthorized absent" because he left prior to the official approval of his leave request. If he fails to return by Sept. 11, he faces potentially much more serious federal charges.
"Essentially (Powers) was trying to keep (Hering) from having to return to service as a Marine," West said. "That's Powers' version. Powers has lied to us repeatedly, so we take what he says with a grain of salt."
Sheriff Joe Pelle and Division Chief Dennis Hopper met with Hering's parents Wednesday evening to inform them of the developments in the case. The Hering's told authorities they remained very concerned for their son's welfare.
Sheriff's officials led a search for Hering until Sunday when they called-off the official effort. Former and current military service members with other volunteers then continued the search early this week.
The sheriff planned to seek restitution for the thousands of dollars expended in the search effort.
(© 2006 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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