A Maine man who was declared a fugitive of the law after evading arrest for making false statements to the Department of Veterans Affairs has been arrested after more than a year on the run.
A federal arrest warrant for Gregory Heimann, 51, was issued on April 29, 2024. Just days earlier, on April 19, Heimann disappeared from his Maine residence, according to U.S. Department of Justice Marshals Service spokesperson Ryan Guay. He had taken a canoe filled with belongings to a river near the Canadian border, and officials initially believed that he had drowned.
A search of the area where he was last seen involving Maine Game Warden Service lasted for several days. After being unable to locate his body, officials concluded that they believed Heimann had made his disappearance look like a drowning and was still alive as a fugitive of the law.
On Aug. 21, the state’s violent offender task force in collaboration with U.S. Marshals from the Eastern District of Missouri identified a man that matched Heimann’s description at an Amtrak station in La Plata, Missouri.
When initially confronted by officials, he gave a false name, but was eventually positively identified as Heimann and taken into custody.
He faces extradition to face federal charges in Maine court, and may be subject to additional charges from the state. A court appearance date has not been determined.