Gert Boyle, the chairwoman of Columbia Sportswear and star of the company’s ads that portray her as “One Tough Mother,” foiled an attempted robbery and kidnapping at her home. According to
a report on the AOL Small Business website:
The 86-year-old Boyle reportedly pulled into her driveway in West Linn, Ore., on [Nov. 10] when a man posing as a delivery man approached her, pulled out a gun and ordered her inside the house. Boyle had to turn off the alarm to enter, and while doing so, tripped a silent panic button that alerted local police of the intrusion.
The AOL Small Business article said that when police came to Boyle’s house, they found her hands bound. Several hours later, police found a man carrying jewelry belonging to Boyle.
Sgt. Neil Hennelly said Boyle noticed that the burglar was wearing a rival North Face jacket and asked her how she was doing after the incident. Ever the dedicated entrepreneur, Boyle reportedly responded, “I was doing fine until that jacket walked through the door.”
The Oregonian
reported
that three Honduran men were being held on charges including burglary, robbery, coercion, assault and kidnapping; their immigration status was being investigated. One of the men told investigators that they had plotted to kidnap Boyle for a $20,000 ransom,
The Oregonian
article said.
A law-enforcement source familiar with the investigation said the kidnap plot appears to be “part of a larger conspiracy” extending beyond the three suspects now in custody.
The Oregonian
report noted that Boyle “was treated like a rock star” when she arrived at the Clackamas County Courthouse to testify before the grand jury.
Boyle returned to work two days after the robbery,
The Oregonian
article said. (Sources: AOL Small Business, Nov. 14, 2010;
The Oregonian,
Nov. 16, 2010.)
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