In a prime example of women standing up for themselves—even at the age of 86—Columbia Sportswear’s CEO Gert Boyle outfoxed a bankrupt former advertising exec who attempted to get some fast cash by ripping off a rich old lady. He obviously picked the wrong octogenarian.
Boyle, who in addition to her Columbia duties is an author known for her autobiography One Tough Mother, fled Germany with her Jewish family as a young teenager. Yeah, after the Nazis, what’s a run-of-the-mill burglar?
Nestor Gabriel Caballero Gutierrez, 39, is being …
… held without bail after he was arraigned Friday in Clackamas County Circuit Court on charges of kidnapping, burglary and robbery. Immigration officials have placed a hold on his case, pending an investigation.
The suspect, who once ran a successful advertising agency, told police that he threatened Boyle with a semi-automatic handgun in order to steal cash and jewelry from her West Linn, Ore., home, according to court documents released Friday.
According to police, Caballero Gutierrez followed Boyle into her garage on Nov. 10, offering her a gift basket and asking her to autograph a copy of her book. Suspicious, Boyle refused, at which point the suspect allegedly pulled the gun and demanded she take him inside, a local Fox affiliate reported.
Boyle apparently pretended to go along, claiming she needed to first disable the security system. Instead, she pushed the panic button.
I find this just remarkable. I don’t have two dimes to rub together, yet I’d be totally freaking out if some guy pulled a gun on me and asked for money. For someone who oversees a company with revenue of over a billion dollars a year, that had to be pretty intense.
And did I mention that she’s 86? I think Gert Boyle might just be my new hero. I’d love to know how she remained so cool in such a high stress situation.
The suspect, not knowing police were minutes away, tied Boyle’s hands and began going through the house, police spokesman Neil Hennelly said.
He escaped when authorities arrived, but an officer later picked up Caballero Gutierrez near a McDonald’s with some of Boyle’s jewelry on him, according to police.
In addition to proving the point that most criminals are stupid, this story brings up once again the issue of women as victims to violent crimes. Do we look weak? Appear to be easy targets? I think both of those things are true, and I just revel in a woman proving a sleazy petty thief wrong—particularly a woman of 86.
Yeah, I kind of want to meet Gert Boyle, who took the day off following the burglary (she suffered bruises and a fat lip), but proved that her wit was as sharp as ever when she encountered the authorities.
“I can tell you when our police chief walked in the house, he was wearing a North Face jacket,” Hennelly said. “He asked her how she was doing, and she said ‘Fine until you walked in with that jacket on.’”
Chalk another one up for survivors!
I think she was targeted because she was old, not because she’s a woman. A super awesome woman. I like her.
sounds like a cool person.
But I’d depend on a North Face jacket for ages before touching a Columbia. :)