The family of Lance Hering, the former Marine who spent more than two years on the lam, on Friday publicly thanked the volunteers who searched for him after his 2006 disappearance.
Lloyd and Elynne Hering made the statement a day after they and their son paid a $30,705 bill for costs associated with the search for Lance Hering in Eldorado Canyon.
Hering still faces a false-reporting charge.
“They were clear about the fact this was something they wanted to do, regardless of the outcome of the court case, and that Lance was grateful to everybody who looked for him and sorry he put them through the trouble,” Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle said Friday.
Hering was home on leave after a combat tour in Iraq when he vanished Aug. 29, 2006. A friend told police Hering was injured in a climbing fall.
The story proved to be false, and Hering was arrested in November in Port Angeles, Wash.
At his court-martial, evidence was presented that he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder. He was discharged from the Marine Corps.
In their statement, Lloyd and Elynne Hering spoke of the “many wonderful people” who helped search for their son, who they believed was suicidal.
“The search was not in vain,” the statement said. “By showing that Lance was NOT dead in the canyon, the searchers led us to the discovery that he was still alive.
“It has always been important to us to repay Boulder County for those expenses,” they wrote. “We are now blessed with the chance to rebuild our family and move forward together.”
Kevin Vaughan: 303-954-5019 or kvaughan@denverpost.com
