Timeline of the Lance Hering case

Rocky Mountain News

Published November 16, 2008 at 10:49 p.m.

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Aug. 30, 2006 - Steve Powers tells police at 5:13 a.m. that his friend, Marine Lance Hering, hit his head while they were hiking in Eldorado Canyon State Park. When search crews return to the spot of the alleged accident and find only blood, shoes and a water bottle, friends and family members immediately begin posting "missing" signs. About 60 rescuers begin a strenuous search. Officers deploy five dog teams, three horses and two helicopters. After dive teams probe South Boulder Creek, Hering`s parents stand before television cameras, clutching a photo of their son and pleading for help to find him. Sheriff Joe Pelle later said detectives questioned Powers’ story’s validity almost immediately.

Aug. 31, 2006 - Powers watches as officials order helicopters, fuel trucks and food from American Red Cross.

Sept. 1, 2006 - More than 120 people expand the search to five square miles. Many people speculate Hering has a brain injury from the "hiking accident," some guess he`s been attacked by an animal and others question the story`s validity. The Sheriff`s Office receives a tip that the story was a lie and that Hering staged his disappearance.

Sept. 3, 2006 - About 100 rescue professionals, 34 Marines and another 100-plus volunteers continue the search. Hering`s parents help walk the search area, but his mother passes out from exhaustion and dehydration. By day`s end, officials know something is awry and call off the official search.

Sept. 6, 2006 - Investigators inform Hering`s parents that their son`s disappearance was apparently staged. Hering`s parents ask the volunteers who are still looking for him to end their search.

At about 11 p.m., officers arrest Powers for false reporting.

Mid-September, 2006 - The Sheriff`s Office obtains a video that shows Hering buying a bus ticket at a Denver Greyhound station the day he reportedly disappeared.

Jan. 22, 2007 - Powers pleads guilty to misdemeanor false reporting in Boulder County District Court and is sentenced to two years of probation. Powers is also ordered to serve 200 hours of community service, pay the entire restitution bill and write a letter of apology.

March 2007 - Powers delivers the letter of apology to the Daily Camera and gives new details of the elaborate hoax-gone-wrong.

Summer 2008 - Boulder County detectives received an anonymous tip that Hering was seen camping outside Olympic National Park in Washington state. Investigators asked local authorities and national park officials to search the area.

Sunday - The Port Angeles Police Department in Washington, acting on a tip out of Boulder County, arrests Lance Hering at the local airport on warrants from Boulder County and the military. His father, Lloyd Hering, is also arrested on suspicion of "aiding and abetting," a misdemeanor charge in Washington.

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