Jack Junior Ottenwalder

On Jan. 24, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office responded to a possible location of a wanted man, identified as Jack Junior Ottenwalder, 34, at a Lehigh Acres home.

During Ottenwalder’s apprehension, a possible fraudulent Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty – a DD Form 214 – was recovered with his personal information on it.

Responding deputies found some of the information on the document to be suspicious. Based on the findings, the information was turned over to the Economics Crimes Unit for further investigation.

People will forge, alter or construct fake DD Form 214 certificates to gain the benefits of being a veteran. It can also be used to claim honors that they have not earned. This is most commonly labeled as “Stolen Valor.”

Upon inspection of the DD Form 214 certificate, it appeared to be fraudulent. The dates, duty stations, training and awards were over exaggerated and did not match up as genuine on the document.

A copy of Ottenwalder’s valid DD Form 214, from the United States Army Human Resources Command, states that he has never received any decorations, medals or campaign ribbons, and was released from duty with an entry level separation code, not an honorable discharge.

He provided the fraudulent document to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles in 2015 to have the “veteran” designation awarded to him on his DL for an “honorable discharge.”

Ottenwalder was charged with forgery and uttering a forged instrument.

On March 21, he turned himself into the Lee County Jail.

Source: Lee County Sheriff’s Office