Airman Once Thought Dead Arrested in S.D.

An airman declared dead in 1987 after he was feared drowned in New Mexico has been found in San Diego and charged with desertion, the Air Force announced Thursday.

Sgt. James Doug Pou, 32, was arrested Wednesday by agents of the Air Force Office of Special Investigations and was in custody Thursday at March Air Force Base, said Kirtland Air Force Base officials in Albuquerque.

Pou was declared missing May 12, 1987, when he failed to show up at Kirtland to teach a 7:30 a.m. class on emergency medical procedures for rescue operations. He had been stationed at the Albuquerque base since March, 1986.

An intensive search followed the discovery of Pou’s racing bicycle that he often rode 18 miles to work.

The bike was found behind a guard rail on the Interstate 25 frontage road about 8 miles from the Rio Bravo bridge in Albuquerque’s South Valley, where Pou’s cycling shoe and a skid mark were later discovered.

Officials also found pieces of broken plastic that matched a damaged spoke guard attached to the rear wheel of Pou’s bike and a pack strapped to the bike containing Pou’s wallet and other belongings.

Members of Pou’s squadron, a parachute rescue group from the 1550th Combat Crew Training Wing, searched for Pou in the Rio Grande.

The official search, which included Bernalillo County sheriff’s boats, military helicopters and bloodhounds, was called off June 2, but friends continued to hunt for Pou near the river.

Authorities at the time looked into the possibilities of foul play and a hit-and-run accident.

“He’s the kind of guy we describe as a ‘super troop,’ ” Kirtland spokesman George Pearce said at the time. “He’s the type of young man the Air Force wants to hold on to.”

Capt. Scott DiNapoli, public affairs officer for Pou’s squadron, said at the time that Pou had “been an outstanding performer all his life. He always strives for No. 1.”

Pou’s family, wife Suzanne and two sons, then 2 and 3, had offered $2,000 for information leading to his whereabouts. Mrs. Pou could not be reached for comment Thursday. A telephone listing in Spokane, Wash., had been disconnected.

In April 1988, Mrs. Pou petitioned the state district court in New Mexico to declare her husband dead. Her attorney had said the petition was prompted by the refusal of a company that held one of several life insurance policies on Pou to pay benefits.

The court declared Pou dead May 20, 1988. The Air Force had declared him dead June 2, 1987, enabling Mrs. Pou to receive military survivors’ benefits.

Since his arrest, Pou has been assigned to the Mission Support Squadron at March Air Force Base, near Riverside, the Kirtland news release said.

The squadron commander at March will determine whether Pou is to be confined pending a hearing to take place within a few days, the news release said. The hearing will determine whether Pou would remain confined until a trial.