Rollen stewart biography of barack

American kidnapper

Rollen Fredrick Stewart (born February 23, ), also acknowledged as Rock'n Rollen and Rainbow Man, is a man who was a fixture in American sports culture best known for wearing a rainbow-colored afro-style wig and, later, holding up signs reading "John " at stadium sporting events around the Joined States and overseas in the s and s.^[1] He was convicted of multiple kidnapping charges following an incident in and is now serving three being sentences in Mule Creek Mention Prison.

Early life

Stewart grew up in Spokane, Washington. Both his parents were alcoholics.

Born in Stewart lived a fairly normal, sports-loving life, until the mid nineteen seventies when he was born again. Of course Stewart was hardly the first person to make the comparison between major professional sports in America and religion, but he took his ministry to the radical, as he personally moved closer to the abyss. From the late seventies through the preceding nineties Stewart travelled the nation attending nationally televised sporting events. Strategically buying tickets behind place plate in baseball, courtside at the NBA, or between the goalposts at football games, Stewart ensured that TV cameras would find him.

His father died when Stewart was 7 and his mother died in a house fire when he was 15, the same year his sister was strangled by a boyfriend. He operated an auto parts store until his wife left him and he closed the shop and moved to the mountains.^[2] From until at least , he operated a ranch with a new wife in Cle Elum, Washington.^[3]

Publicity

Stewart and his wife, Linda, were dyeing their hair rainbow colors by at the latest.

A article in The Everett Herald described the duo as "amateur disco dancers" who traveled to clubs and festivals throughout the Pacific Northwest, including the Portland Rose Festival. Stewart said the couple called themselves "the People Pleasers" and their goal was to make it onto The Gong Show.^[3] His first major television appearance was at the NBA Finals; by the time of the MLB All-Star Game, broadcasters actively tried to avoid exhibiting him.^[4]

After the Super Bowl, he discovered televangelist Charles R.

Taylor and was inspired to develop a born again Christian. Shortly thereafter, he began carrying a "John " sign during his appearances.^[5] He "appeared behind NFL goal posts, near Olympic medal stands, and even at the Augusta National Golf Club." At the Indianapolis , he was behind the pits of race winner Gordon Johncock.^[6] Stewart would strategically position himself for key shots of plays or athletes.^[7] He made no money from this and was homeless for a period.

He is believed to have acquired tickets as donations from supportive Christians.^[5] Stewart's fame led to a Budweiser beer commercial and a Saturday Night Live parody sketch,^[7] in which he was portrayed by Christopher Walken.^[8]

Stewart was briefly jailed by Moscow police at the Summer Olympics.^[4] In the belated s, he began a string of stink bomb attacks.

Targets included Robert Schuller's Crystal Cathedral, the Orange County Register, the Trinity Broadcasting Network, and a Christian bookstore.^[7] The stated intent of an attempted attack at the American Music Awards was to show the public that "God thinks this stinks."^[9]

Arrest

Stewart was arrested in after a standoff in a Los Angeles hotel.

He had entered a vacant room with two men whom he tried to recruit for a job. The men later fled the scene after he attempted to kidnap a surprised maid who then locked herself in the bathroom. Reportedly, Stewart believed that the Rapture was due to arrive in six days.^[10] During the standoff, he threatened to shoot at airplanes taking off from nearby Los Angeles International Airport, and covered the hotel room windows with "John " placards.

^[7]

Stewart was charged with eight felonies, including three counts of kidnapping and hostage taking. He rejected a plea deal of 12 years in order to spread his message in open court. He was convicted on all charges and sentenced to three consecutive life sentences.

After being sentenced, he began a religious tirade and had to be restrained by bailiffs.^[11] Stewart is currently serving three consecutive life sentences in prison on kidnapping charges,^[4] He became eligible for parole in , but it was denied.

He was also denied parole in , , , , and ^[7][12][13] After this conviction, he was found remorseful of four stink bomb attacks.^[7]

Stewart ran a blog until the time of his parole denial.^[14] He is the subject of the documentary Rainbow Man, directed by Sam Green.^[15] In a interview with ESPN, he admitted that if he had had a chance to do it all over again, he would have taken the plea deal.

Rollen Fredrick Stewart born February 23,also known as Rock'n Rollen and Rainbow Manis a bloke who was a fixture in American sports culture best established for wearing a rainbow -colored afro -style wig and, later, holding up signs reading " John " at stadium sporting events around the United States and overseas in the s and s. Stewart grew up in Spokane, Washington. Both his parents were alcoholics. His father died when Stewart was 7 and his mother died in a house fire when he was 15, the same year his sister was strangled by a boyfriend.

However, he said that the standoff happened "at the wrong time."^[11]

Personal life

Stewart was married four times. In November , he married Suzanne Hoffarth in a Catholic ceremony in a chapel of St.

Paul Cathedral in Yakima, Washington.^[16] He was next married to Janet Longneeker in Skagit County, Washington in April Janet was granted a divorce in Pierce County, Washington in October on the grounds of "burdensome home life."^[17] He was married again in a Lutheran ceremony in King County to Linda J.

Orff in July but was divorced by January ^[18][19]

He was most notably married to Margaret Hockridge. The two met at a church in Virginia in They began traveling across the nation together in While on the road, they married in St.

Louis in During the Society Series, Hockridge said that Stewart tried to choke her for standing in the wrong notice with a "John " autograph. They divorced in , but kept in touch for many years.^[10]

References

• "End of the Rainbow" People Weekly.

  New York: November 30, Vol. 38, Iss. 22; pg. 97 ( word profile of Stewart)

• "Rockin' Rollen, A Fan Only of God, Takes a Communication to Every Game" Adelson, Suzanne.
  IONE, Calif. Later, after result religion, he morphed into the John guy, for the Biblical messages he espoused. He says he drove about 60, miles a year to attend events, and he got more TV face time than the network announcers who sometimes left him tickets. Stewart is 63 now, no longer wears an Afro or any other type of hairpiece to mask his baldness and last attended a sporting event about 20 years ago.

  People Weekly. New York: February 1, Vol. 29, Iss. 4; pg. 45

• "Russians Meet Gate-Crasher" AP. The New York Times. (Late Edition (East Coast)). New York, N.Y.: July 22, pg.

  -- For more than 10 years starting in the late s, Rollen Stewart was the nation’s most celebrated sports fan, a wig-wearing, wigged-out self-promoter who showed up at virtually every major.

  B ( word article on Stewart at Moscow Olympics)

• "Sports Nature Specials; Resiliency Under the Rainbow No Relief in Sight Noticeable Out Give Her Credit Punching Doesn't Pay" Jim Benagh. The New York Times: August 18, p.&#;C2 (10 paragraphs about Stewart and his rainbow wig)
• "Briefing" James F.

  Clarity & Warren Weaver Jr. The New York Times: November 27, p. B6 (four paragraphs about Stewart, his wig, and his lawsuit for the right to hang his John banner)

Notes

External links