Rollen Stewart "The Rainbow Man"

Rollen Stewart was born in 1944 and grew up in Spokane, Washington. He had a difficult childhood, losing both parents before he was fifteen. As a young adult, he was interested in drag racing and owned an auto repair shop. Eventually, he sold the auto shop and became a marijuana farmer. At this time, he set himself the unrealized goal of growing the world's largest mustache.

In 1977, Stewart got on camera for the first time at the NBA finals in Portland, Oregon. Hooked on being in the spotlight, he sold his pot farm and moved to California to become a star. In the years that followed, he showed up on camera at several major sporting events. He carried a battery-powered television with him to the events to keep track of cameras so he would know where to sit or stand to get himself on television.

"I had watched television, seen all the angles, and saw a person could stand in the background in all of these shots and become instantly known. I had a dream in technology. I needed a magnet. To stand there as a person would be fine, but I could do twice as good if I had a color scheme or something."

In 1980, Stewart became a born-again Christian after watching a televangelist the evening after he attended the Super Bowl. Before this, he would show up to events shirtless, wearing a rainbow-colored wig and a loincloth. After becoming born-again, he began wearing t-shirts with religious messages like John 3:16 or Jesus Saves. He had no job and was living out of his car, surviving on contributions of money and tickets from other Christians.

He traveled the world to display his signs and be noticed on-air. Stewart made it to Moscow for the 1980 Olympics, where he was briefly detained by Soviet security for questioning and released. He was also seen at the World Cup, the Indy 500, and the Royal wedding of Prince Charles and Princess Diana. Broadcasters eventually grew tired of Stewart's antics in the eighties and his screen time diminished over the years.

His life took a dark turn in September 1992 when he locked himself in a hotel room near the Los Angeles International Airport. He pulled a gun on a maid who then locked herself in the bathroom. During the standoff with police, he threatened to shoot at planes and asked for a live three-hour press conference on all three major networks.

"This is my last hurrah. No one gets hurt. The media gets the message. They present it, and then it's over."

His request was denied, and eventually, the police were able to subdue him with a concussion grenade. While no one was hurt in the standoff, police found a loaded .45 caliber handgun with one round chambered, two ammunition clips fully loaded, and about forty-seven live rounds of ammunition. Stewart was charged with eight felonies. He rejected a twelve-year plea deal. Now seventy-seven, Stewart is currently serving three life sentences in Mule Creek State prison.