Pilot tied to investigations, officials say

By Josh Levs
CNN
(CNN) - A man whose financial management business is under investigation faked a life-or-death emergency in his private aircraft before secretly parachuting out and letting his plane crash into a swampy area in the Florida panhandle, authorities said Monday.

The pilot, identified as Marcus Schrenker, 38, later checked into a hotel in Alabama under a fake name, but then put on a black cap and fled into a wooded area, authorities in Alabama said, according to the Santa Rosa County (Florida) Sheriff's Office. Authorities are searching for him.

The manager of the airport in Indiana from which the six-seat aircraft took off told CNN no one else was on board at takeoff.

Public documents list Schrenker as president of an Indianapolis agency called Heritage Wealth Management. Records also show Heritage Insurance Services at the same address. The address is listed in the telephone directory as the site of Icon Wealth Management.

Jim Gavin with the Indiana secretary of state's office said those three companies are under investigation for possible securities violations. A search warrant was served in connection with that investigation on December 31.