What happened to Alan Como?

[CodyD]

You guys recall Alan Como, the man who was charged with chopping down live trees and burglary near Brant Lake (the "mountain man" who lived in the forest for 20 years)? Previous Thread

I'm curious if anyone knows where he's at now. Even if he got the worse sentence possible he'd still be out by now. I'm curious if he's back in the woods or not, and/or if he's contactable.

Just checking here, figured you guys may know.

Cody

[Justin]

An interesting article about Alan Como...
http://www.adirondacklifemag.com/blo.../09/the-loner/

[Tick Magnet]

Wow! Great story.

It makes you wonder about all those tarps, fire pits and "junk" you find in the middle of the woods.

[Justin]

Originally Posted by Tick Magnet

It makes you wonder about all those tarps, fire pits and "junk" you find in the middle of the woods.

It also makes me wonder where exactly his main camp was "on a flat area just below the summit"...?
When I was up on Park Mountain last winter, I spent some time exploring around a bit up there, but didn't happen to notice anything other than someone's tree stand.

[Trail Boss]

It's interesting how our perceptions can be shaped by a location.

If a homeless man burglarized urban/suburban homes, I doubt people would perceive him to be anything more than a vagrant and a thief. Transplant him to the woods and now he takes on the mantle of "Adirondack Bushman", some kind of rugged individualist living a hermit's life.

Curious.

[Justin]

Originally Posted by Trail Boss

It's interesting how our perceptions can be shaped by a location.

If a homeless man burglarized urban/suburban homes, I doubt people would perceive him to be anything more than a vagrant and a thief. Transplant him to the woods and now he takes on the mantle of "Adirondack Bushman", some kind of rugged individualist living a hermit's life.

Curious.

Agreed!
I see this story nothing more than a homeless burglar, and a violator of NYSDEC laws & regulations whom apparently may have also been suffering from some sort of mental illness. I think the only thing that makes this story interesting is the fact that he lived in the Adirondack woods year round for 20+ years.

[vtflyfish]

Originally Posted by Justin

Agreed!
I see this story nothing more than a homeless burglar, and a violator of NYSDEC laws & regulations whom apparently may have also been suffering from some sort of mental illness. I think the only thing that makes this story interesting is the fact that he lived in the Adirondack woods year round for 20+ years.

I see nothing to dramatize or romanticize here. That said, this man was living in a private hell of mental illness. In that context his petty crimes have to be seen in a different light. He likely experienced crippling delusional fear, which drove his behavior. Having once worked in the mental health field I believe that prison was not the place for him. We need a much better model for dealing with people in this situation to ease them into a productive relationship with society.

[montcalm]

I hate to judge someone based on stories about them or actions which I do not fully understand, but it does seem to me a clear case of mental illness.

The issue is this. He did not want help. This is the issue with a lot of homeless individuals be it for drugs, alcohol and/or mental illness. The nature of many of these illnesses have people fearing treatment.

Problem here is this, these people then affect other people's lives and sometimes commit violent crimes when put in threatened situations.

Crazy guy lives in the woods and no one knows about him. Not an issue.

Crazy guy lives in the woods and breaks into peoples houses and steals. This is the part that is worrisome. No record of a violent act, but who's to say he wouldn't if threatened i.e. someone catches him and faces off with him.

IMO authorities did the wrong thing and had for a long time. He should have been evaluated in his first convictions and put in a facility. Perhaps he would have come to the same ends, and this can be a trick with some homeless people. It can be hard to hold them against their will or have them committed. The process is there to protect those who aren't sick from being held against their will, but obviously there are circumstances where the system does not work. Case in point.

From the story, he obviously had no remorse or understanding that what he was doing was wrong. That in itself should tell you something is not right. The fact that he doesn't possess a clear sense of what is right and wrong in our society is most disturbing. And I think it was clearly not a case of criminal intent, but a schism with reality.