The U.S. Army has dropped the charges against Staff Sgt. Jonathan Lane, discharging the soldier who disappeared from his base in Germany and turned up at a military hospital under a false name. (U.S. Army)
GRAFENWOEHR, Germany — A U.S. soldier who disappeared from his Bavarian base last year and turned up at a military hospital under a false name is being allowed to exit the Army without charge after a judge dismissed the case against him.
Staff Sgt. Jonathan Lane, 31, requested a discharge in lieu of military court martial during a pretrial hearing Oct. 30 at Rose Barracks in Vilseck, 7th Army Training Command spokeswoman Lacey Justinger said Tuesday.
He had been charged with one count each of attempted voluntary manslaughter, child endangerment and desertion. His court martial was scheduled for February, and he would have faced up to 31 years in prison if convicted on all counts.
After reviewing the evidence, Brig. Gen. Steven Carpenter, commander of the 7th Army Training Command, agreed to the request by Lane, who received an other than honorable discharge and was reduced in rank to private.
Lane was released from custody and is processing out of the Army, Justinger said. He was a helicopter repairer assigned to the 12th Combat Aviation Brigade at U.S. Army Garrison Ansbach.
On June 27, 2023, Lane was reported missing after not showing up for duty. Four days earlier, he had been spotted trying to access Ramstein Air Base and Landstuhl Regional Medical Center under the name David Hersher.
Army officials declined to say whether he received treatment at the hospital, citing medical privacy rules. Ramstein is about 125 miles west of Lane’s former duty station.
Lane’s car was later found abandoned near Urbach in the state of Rheinland-Pfalz, about two hours north of Ramstein, the Army Criminal Investigation Division said previously. His last known location was the main train station in Koblenz on June 29, 2023.
Notices appeared in military post offices in Germany seeking the public’s help in locating him. He was caught April 5 near the southwestern city of Trier.
The charges will be officially withdrawn and dismissed on the date of Lane’s separation from active duty, Justinger said. Under his discharge, he will be denied many veterans benefits under state and federal law.
No further stipulations or restrictions were placed on him, Justinger said.
Clarification: While military judge Lt. Col. Tom Hynes presided over the case, it was convening authority Brig. Gen. Steven Carpenter, commander of the 7th Army Training Command, who approved the withdrawal of charges.
