Man charged with making false claim in sniper case

ROCKVILLE, Md. -- Virginia authorities on Friday arrested a man accused of misleading investigators in the Washington-area sniper shootings by falsely describing an olive-skinned man and a cream-colored Chevrolet Astro van with a burned-out taillight at the scene of one killing.

Matthew Dowdy, 37, of Falls Church, Va., was arrested by Fairfax County, Va., police Friday afternoon and charged with making a false statement, said police spokeswoman Isabel Benemelis. The charge carries a maximum penalty of six months in jail.

Later Friday, Montgomery County police said authorities were examining a shell casing found inside a white box truck at a car rental agency near Dulles International Airport in Virginia.

Montgomery County police spokesman Derek Baliles says it is unclear if the truck has anything to do with the sniper investigation. The rental agency contacted police Friday evening, said Capt. Nancy Demme, a Montgomery County police spokeswoman.

Police are still asking the public to provide them with information about white box trucks as previously described, the spokesmen said.

Baliles also says police do not expect to have any further information about the truck or the shell casing until this morning.

Authorities began doubting Dowdy's story -- what had initially seemed a good break in the case -- after comparing it with accounts from others who saw the fatal shooting of an FBI analyst Monday night in a shopping center parking garage.

Dowdy went before a magistrate Friday evening and was ordered held without bail at the county jail until a Monday arraignment.

Eleven people have been shot in the sniper attacks since Oct. 2, and nine have died.

Fourth day of lull

As a lull in the shootings stretched into a fourth day Friday, investigators revisited crime scenes and acknowledged they had to expand a search area after deciding that Dowdy's account was false.

"Law enforcement in America is a learning institution," said Montgomery County police chief Charles Moose, who is leading the multi-jurisdictional investigation. "We adjust and we improve."

Moose didn't want to speculate on the quiet period for fear of tempting the killer to prove authorities wrong.

"Any day without violence remains a good day," he said.