NEEDLES – An Army Ranger absent without leave after serving in Iraq and
Afghanistan was captured on a remote mountaintop by military and local
searchers who had been scouring the Mojave Desert region for days.
Andrew Stone, 20, of Wisconsin abandoned his car Friday and took area maps
into the wilderness. He was listed as AWOL by the Army and may face
criminal charges in Georgia, where Stone is stationed, the San Bernardino
County Sheriff's Department said.
Led by two Army Black Hawk helicopters, searchers on horseback and off-road
vehicles found Stone on a peak Sunday south of the Mojave National
Preserve, sheriff's Deputy Dave Pichotta said.
Some 50 searchers from Barstow, Morongo Basin, Needles, Victor Valley,
Wrightwood and Yucaipa participated in the hunt. Stone has no known ties to
the area, about 90 miles south of Las Vegas near the California-Arizona border.
Army officials referred reporters to the 75th Rangers Regiment, composed of
three Ranger battalions with headquarters at Fort Benning, Ga., but there
was no immediate comment to telephone and e-mail messages.
Sheriff's spokeswoman Cindy Beavers said there was no additional
information from the Sheriff's Department.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/ news/military/20070122- 1101-ca-awolsoldier.html
