Marine Arrested in Disappearance Hoax

BOULDER, Colo. - A Marine accused of faking his disappearance to avoid returning to his unit has been arrested in Washington state.

Police in Port Angeles arrested 23-year-old Lance Hering on Sunday at the town's airport. He is being held on a warrant for contempt of court on a burglary charge and a Marine Corps warrant for desertion.

Hering is a lance corporal and Iraq war veteran who was on leave from California's Camp Pendleton when he disappeared in 2006.

A friend told authorities Hering was hurt in a rock-climbing accident in Colorado and wandered off. The friend later admitted it was a hoax.

The police in Washington state were acting on a tip from the Boulder County Sheriff's Office.