Abduction suspect faces new charge

— BOSTON - A man calling himself Clark Rockefeller, who is accused of kidnapping his 7-year-old daughter and is being investigated in a California couple's disappearance, was charged Wednesday with giving a false name to police.

Investigators say Rockefeller is really German citizen Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter, who came to the United States as a high school student in 1978 and has been living under aliases ever since.

The new charge was added during a brief appearance by Gerhartsreiter, 47, in Boston Municipal Court. He remains jailed without bail after pleading innocent to charges of kidnapping a minor relative, assault and battery, and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.

Gerhartsreiter's lawyer said his client did nothing wrong by identifying himself to police in the kidnapping case as Clark Rockefeller, a name he had used for years, including during his marriage.

Police say Gerhartsreiterkidnapped his young daughter off a Boston street during a supervised visit in July after losing custody to his ex-wife, Sandra Boss.

He was arrested last month in Baltimore. The girl was found unharmed.

California authorities also say Gerhartsreiter is a "person of interest" in the 1985 disappearance of Jonathan and Linda Sohus.

Front Section, Pages 3 on 09/04/2008

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