Ocala man arrested after going AWOL from Air Force 45 years ago, deputies say

OCALA, Fla. — For residents of The Falls in Ocala, William Robertson was a married 65-year-old man who helped his neighbors clean their gutters and served on the homeowners association board.

All that changed Tuesday when his home was surrounded by marked and unmarked law enforcement vehicles and residents discovered Robertson was accused of deserting the U.S. Air Force 45 years ago.

The Marion County Sheriff’s Office said William Robertson is actually 75-year-old Linley Lemburg, who has been listed as absent without leave from the Air Force since 1972.

The Sheriff's Office was contacted by the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, which asked investigators to help track down Lemburg.

He was found living with his wife in the 7800 block of SW 5th Place in Ocala Tuesday morning, deputies said.

He was taken to the MCSO Evidence Division where his fingerprints were compared to Air Force records from his 1960 enlistment.

Once his identity was confirmed, Lemburg was taken into custody by the Air Force and was transported to MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa.

“I couldn’t believe it,” neighbor Jack Blanton said Tuesday.

Another nearby resident, Bud Morrison, was there when law enforcement officers arrived at home of the man he knew as Bill Robertson.

“I actually saw Bill while it was going on and said, ‘What’s going on?’” Morrison said. “And he didn’t say anything.”

According to property records, Lemburg purchased the Ocala home with his wife in 2005 under the name William Michael Robertson.

His wife did not answer the door when a Channel 9 reporter knocked asking for comment Tuesday night.

The Air Force has not released any information on how Lemburg was located or what charges he might face in connection with his alleged 45-year desertion.

Cox Media Group