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For Immediate Release |
Contact: |
| January 13, 2009 |
Deputy U.S. Marshal John Beeman Southern District of Indiana (260) 615-1896; USMS Headquarters Public Affairs (202) 307-9065 |
| U.S. Marshals Assume Federal Lead in Search for Missing Pilot |
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Washington – The U.S. Marshals Service
has assumed the lead federal agency role in the apprehension efforts
surrounding missing pilot Marcus Schrenker, after state warrants were issued
in Indiana charging Schrenker with securities fraud. The U.S. Marshals Southern District of Indiana, headquartered in Indianapolis, and its Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force, located in Chicago, are coordinating the agency’s apprehension efforts. In addition, Marshals personnel from the Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force located in Birmingham, Ala., and Marshals task forces across Florida are assisting Indiana, Alabama and Florida authorities in the search for the fugitive. Schrenker’s six-seat Piper PA46 single engine airplane went down late Sunday night in a marshy area of East Milton, Fla. Schrenker’s plane was reportedly en route from Anderson, Ind., to Destin, Fla. Schrenker had radioed in a distress call just southwest of Birmingham, Ala., before losing communications with air traffic controllers. Military jets that were launched to intercept the plane observed the plane’s door open and the cockpit dark. The military jets stayed with the plane until it crashed one mile north of Peter Prince Airport in East Milton. Later Sunday evening, Schrenker showed up at a residence in Childersburg, Ala., and advised that he had been involved in a canoeing accident. The resident gave the Schrenker a ride into Childersburg, where the police made contact with him. The police positively identified Schrenker through his FAA pilot’s license, then transported him to a motel in Harpersville, Ala. It was later determined that Schrenker checked into the hotel under an alias. Yesterday, the Childersburg Police Department became alerted to the fact that the subject they had encountered was the pilot of the crashed plane in Florida. The Childersburg Police Department, the Harpersville Police Department and the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office responded to the hotel in an attempt to make contact with Schrenker, who had left the hotel. Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Marcus Schrenker should contact the U.S. Marshals Service at 1-800-336-0102. Related News Releases: |