A former substitute teacher at Randleman High School has been indicted on felony charges of sex offense with a student and crime against nature. But that’s certainly not the whole story.

It seems as though Clayborn Hall created quite a heroic yet troubled life for himself — and the Courier-Tribune bought it:

In a September 2006 story in The Courier-Tribune, Hall told a reporter that he was a former United Airlines flight attendant who was between work assignments and not flying on Sept. 11, 2001 during the terrorist attacks that killed local resident Sandy Bradshaw.

United Airlines showed no record of Hall’s employment with that company when asked in March.

Hall also said in 2006 that he was a veteran of Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm during the first Gulf War in 1990-91.

Hall spoke in the story of being 500 feet away when his roommate Spec. James Murray was killed by friendly fire on Feb. 27, 1991. Hall said he helped pull Murray and eight other soldiers from the wreckage of a Bradley fighting vehicle on the front lines of the fight.

Hall’s commanding officer and some other members of his platoon have a different recollection.

Larry Chaney, of Conroe, Texas, was a former Army 1st lieutenant and Hall’s commander during Desert Storm. He confirmed that Murray was the only member of the Delta Company, 1st Battalion, 41st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Armored Division Alpha Section, killed in action.

Chaney said he was the senior officer present when Murray was killed. He said he and Joe Moreira, another Platoon member, were just a few feet away from Murray when he was killed.

Chaney said Moreira was badly injured. He said he put Moreira in for the Bronze Star with Valor for pushing him off of the Bradley moments before it exploded.

However, Chaney asserts that Hall was a member of 2nd Platoon’s Bravo Section and not present during the friendly fire incident that killed Murray.

“We ALL lost Murray … BUT, Hall was NOT there when Murray was actually killed and he sure as hell better not exploit that he WAS there when Murray was killed … or that he ‘bunked with him,’” said Chaney in an email exchange with The Courier-Tribune.

So here’s the big question: How did Hall end up as a substitute teacher?

…..Hall had been an active community volunteer and was active in his church and took the job as substitute teacher on the advice of his psychologist to learn to be more outgoing and develop social skills.