Accused Army deserter freed

Authorities have released a man held in the Lincoln County Detention Center accused of deserting the U.S. Army almost five decades ago.

Officials with the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office said they let Gary James Armstrong, 68, go Jan. 15 after the warrant for his arrest was quashed. Armstrong was detained while trying to cross the border from Canada on Dec. 27.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials confirmed that officers with the law enforcement agency took Armstrong into custody. Agency spokesman Jason Givens said that border protection agents discovered the felony desertion warrant when Armstrong presented himself for entry.

He later was turned over to the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office to await extradition, Givens said.

That wait ended when the warrant was quashed.

The U.S. Army has since removed Armstrong’s name from its online database of deserters. The website previously listed Armstrong as a private before he fled the service.