OCALA, Fla. — When Staff Sgt. Linley Lemburg walked away from the U.S. Air Force in 1972, he burned his badge and credentials and assumed a new name before disappearing for 45 years, investigators said.
He was found living in Ocala with his wife on March 21, under the name William Robertson.
He was arrested two blocks from his home, officials said.
New information from the USAF gives some insight into what may have prompted Lemburg to abandon his post as a special agent with the Office of Special Investigations.
At the time, Lemburg was having marriage and financial problems, the USAF said.
When Marion County Sheriff's Office deputies and USAF agents took Lemburg into custody, they said he took them to a safe in his home where he kept all the documents he used to forge his new identity.
Information from the Air Force did not specify what kind of information was contained in the documents.
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.
He was found living with his wife in the 7800 block of SW 5th Place in Ocala.
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.
According to property records, Lemburg purchased the Ocala home with his wife in 2005 under the name William Michael Robertson.
The Air Force has not released any information on how Lemburg was located but officials said they planned to charge him with desertion under Article 85.
Cox Media Group
