Help Sought in Finding Missing Man

Sheriff’s Department officials are looking for help in finding a mentally impaired El Cajon man who wandered away from his mother Tuesday while at the Del Mar Fair.

David Allan Powers, 32, was last seen in the grandstands at the Del Mar Fair about 6:30 p.m. when he became separated from his mother and friends in the crowd that gathered for a Waylon Jennings concert, said Thelma Noel, who was with the group and shares her home with Powers.

Powers had been sitting next to his mother, but “when she turned around he was gone,” Noel said. His mother thought that Powers went to sit closer to the band and “she kept thinking he would come back,” Noel said.

When Powers did not return at the end of the concert, the group frantically began searching for him, Noel said. They searched the fairgrounds until midnight to no avail.

“I feel bad because I insisted that he go” to the fair, Noel said.

No Evidence of Foul Play

Sheriff’s Lt. John Tenwolde said there was no evidence of foul play. Although Powers is capable of communicating and knows his name, he may not be able to provide detailed information. He was carrying no identification.

A few months ago, Powers wandered away from the El Cajon home he shared with Noel and several others but was found three days later in Lakeside.

“The three days he was gone, he was dehydrated,” Noel said. “It took him a while to remember me.”

Powers might be wandering along the coast because “he loves the beach,” Noel said.

Powers is 6 feet tall, weighs 140 pounds, and has reddish-blond hair and a thin mustache. He was wearing a gray, pinstripe suit coat over a blue plaid shirt, a pair of yellow and green jeans, and blue tennis shoes.

Anyone with information concerning Powers’ whereabouts is asked to call the Sheriff’s Department at 692-5600 or 565-5200.