It makes no sense says mother of man charged with stealing plane

Posted on Thu, Oct. 05, 2006

STOLEN PLANE
'It makes no sense,' says mother of man charged with stealing plane
Charges were filed against a Texas man who allegedly stole an airplane
from Marathon and landed in Cuba with his young son.
BY CAMMY CLARK
cclark@MiamiHerald.com

To provide for his wife and two young boys living in Monterrey, Mexico,
David Franklin commuted to the Texas border town of Laredo for a more
lucrative job as a truck driver.

His mother said the family appeared to be happy.

But last week their lives took a nose dive when Franklin, 52,
inexplicably traveled more than 1,000 miles to the Florida Keys with his
youngest son, allegedly stole an airplane in Marathon and landed in
Cuba, apparently due to mechanical problems.

''If the Lord was not with me, I would have had a heart attack,''
Frances Hurd said Wednesday about the shocking news involving her only son.

Federal officials filed a criminal complaint Wednesday against Franklin,
charging him with transporting stolen property across international
lines. The FBI is investigating.

''It makes no sense to me,'' Hurd said in a phone interview from her
home in Tennessee. ``It makes no sense to [his wife] Adela, and it
probably makes no sense to anyone who knows him.''

The only person who may know is Franklin himself, who is being held in
Cuba along with his son.

The pair is staying in a hotel while U.S. officials work to gain their
return.

''All I can say is stay tuned,'' said Alicia Valle, spokeswoman for the
U.S. attorney's office in Miami.

``We are taking all the necessary steps to secure the safe return of the
boy and the return of the defendant to this jurisdiction.''

Hurd said she is praying for the safe return of her son and grandson,
who is a dual citizen of the United States and Mexico.

''I just got off the phone with my daughter-in-law,'' Hurd said. ``She's
real upset. She doesn't understand what has happened, either. She said
he had been perfect. Their [12-year] marriage was real good.''

Adela Franklin could not be located for comment.

Hurd said Franklin would alternate taking his sons, ages 8 and 9, on
trucking trips.

How Franklin and his younger son got to Florida is a mystery. Hurd said
his truck is still in Texas.

But once in Marathon, Franklin allegedly stole a 1978 blue and white
Cessna 172 Hawk XP, valued at $78,000. It is owned by New York resident
William Jones, who a week ago flew the plane to the Keys for a vacation.

In the federal complaint, the affidavit stated a security guard reported
that at 2:30 a.m. Saturday, he observed three men standing next to the
plane with what appeared to be luggage at their feet.

The guard said a short time later, the plane took off from Marathon
Airport. It's not clear if it was the plane that ended up in Cuba.

The plane Franklin allegedly stole landed Saturday morning in Varadero,
Cuba's main beach resort about 90 miles east of Havana.

Initially, Franklin identified himself as ''Joseph Fiel'' and produced a
birth certificate with that name.

But his fingerprints, which were sent to U.S. officials, showed he was
Randall Ray Franklin. (His mother said he legally changed his first name
to David.)

Franklin has no current pilot's license filed with the FAA. But his
mother said he has known how to fly for years and once owned a four-seat
plane.

She said he was in the Air Force, but isn't sure if he learned to fly in
the military or with a private flying school.

His mother said he has a 32-year-old daughter from his first marriage.
In 1996, he married Adela.

His mother said the marriage is good now, but in July 2004, Franklin was
arrested in Texas for ''assault bodily injury-married,'' according to
court records. The case was dismissed less than two months later due to
a missing witness.

Hurd said she doesn't know details about the arrest or why her son
traveled to the Keys.

''Something had to snap for him to do this,'' she said. ``I hate to
think it, but he's got a real serious problem.''

Miami Herald researcher Monika Z. Leal contributed to his report.

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/local/15681266.htm