Letters: An unrewarding end to the Dorner manhunt

Re “Wanted alive, not dead,” March 25

Karen and Jim Reynolds were captured and tied up by a maniac who had allegedly killed several people. If Karen hadn’t freed herself, they might well have died before being found. And despite a threat from Christopher Dorner, the ex-L.A. cop who went on the rampage, they called police, tipping them off that Dorner was nearby. That sure seems like they played an essential role in tracking him down.

Rick Heltebrake was also accosted by that same maniac. By promptly reporting his carjacking and providing a good description, he also ensured that Dorner’s pursuers would be able to track him down.

There is no question that the reward is well deserved and should be split between Heltebrake and the Reynolds. The petty misers who are reneging on their pledges to donate the reward money are an embarrassment.

Geoff Kuenning

Claremont

If only we could predict how these runaway fugitives are going to behave, we could tailor rewards.

For example, in the Dorner case, some prospective donors could have stipulated that because Dorner was only on a revenge spree against the police, incidental victims who were merely tied up or carjacked would not be worthy of reward money for calls leading to Dorner’s entrapment and suicide.

Besides, those money-grubbing victims would have denied the rest of us the opportunity to pay for a longer police chase, followed by a publicized trial and incarceration, along with the additional result of donor vindication.

Katharine Paull

Kagel Canyon

As I follow the claims of those who say they are entitled to the reward money in the Dorner case (really, do lawyers have to get involved?), I hope that whoever is finally “awarded” the money will donate it to the families of the police officers believed to have been killed by Dorner.

Karen Lindell

Camarillo

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