Fugitive Returned to California
A fugitive gun enthusiast once linked to an Oklahoma City bombing suspect has returned to California to face an unrelated weapons charge, federal marshals said Thursday.
Steven Garrett Colbern was flown Wednesday to a federal detention center in Los Angeles, said Larry Moore, acting supervisor for the U.S. Marshal’s Office in Phoenix.
Colbern, a 35-year-old biochemist, had been held without bond in Phoenix since May 12 when he was arrested in Oatman, Ariz., on charges stemming from his scuffle with authorities who had tracked him to the old mining town.
John Hannah, Colbern’s court-appointed attorney, has repeatedly said that he does not believe his client is connected with the April 19 bombing.
At a recent court appearance, Hannah downplayed speculation about a possible bargain being struck between Colbern and federal authorities. The rumors suggested that the bargain involved Colbern’s assistance in providing information about bombing suspect Timothy McVeigh during his stay in Kingman, Ariz.
The U.S. Attorney’s office has refused to comment on any possible link between Colbern’s arrest and the Oklahoma terrorist attack.
In the California case pending against him, Colbern was arrested.
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