Trucker Ron Lantz, who helped police capture the Washington, DC, snipers in 2002, will not receive any of the reward money that was offered in the case.
But that’s just fine with him, he told a reporter.
"I'm not a bit disappointed," Lantz told The Cincinnati Post March 22. "It doesn't make a difference to me either way."
The reward, $500,000, was split between two people, police officials announced recently. One, Robert Holmes of Tacoma, WA, received $350,000 of the reward money for contacting authorities with information that eventually led to the two suspects. The Associated Press said he tipped the FBI that John Allen Muhammad, who was convicted recently in the case, might be the shooter.
The other reward recipient was Whitney Donahue of Greencastle, PA, who received the rest of the money, $150,000. Donahue saw the suspects’ car at the same rest area where Lantz did, and called authorities, police said. Muhammad and accomplice Lee Boyd Malvo were arrested at the rest area a short time later.
In announcing the rewards, Montgomery County Police Chief J. Thomas Manger did not limit his praise to the two people who received money. Holmes and Donahue, he said, “represent tens of thousands of people from all over the nation who offered tips to help us bring an end to the killing spree.”
“No law enforcement agency can succeed without the help of the citizens it serves,” Manger said in a statement. “We are grateful to Mr. Holmes and Mr. Donahue for their assistance, and we are grateful to everyone who called to offer information.”
Lantz was not even in the running, Montgomery County police spokeswoman Lucille Baur told The Post.
"Mr. Lantz's name did come up during the course of the meetings by the individuals who were evaluating who should receive the reward," she told the newspaper.
More than 60,000 tips were called in to the law-enforcement officials during the hunt for the two snipers.
Lantz, a resident of Ludlow, KY, saw the snipers’ car at the rest area the night of Oct. 24, 2002. The trucker was listening to the Truckin’ Bozo radio show and heard a description of a car being sought by officials in connection with the sniper case. He noticed a car that matched the description – a Chevrolet Caprice –at the Maryland rest stop and called 9-1-1.
He was one of several who called police that night, and not the first, law-enforcement officials said.
However, he did play an important part in capturing the two suspects. After calling 9-1-1, Lantz and another driver blocked the exits to the rest area, effectively trapping the suspects until police could arrive.
Lantz has not walked away from the incident without recognition. The trucker, who contends he is not a hero, has been heaped with honors, including a day named for him in his hometown and a letter and flag from his congressman. He has appeared on national TV programs and was a nominee for the Goodyear Highway Hero Award at last year’s Mid-America Trucking Show.
Only a few months after the incident, Lantz retired from active trucking. He invited television reporters from WCPO TV in Cincinnati along on his final run just before Christmas, which took him to Baltimore and the rest area where he spotted the two suspects. He hopes others will be inspired by his actions in the sniper case.
"So many people want to turn their head the other way, and they don't want to get involved," Lantz said at that time. "Now, I think they are getting involved."
--by the Land Line staff
