35
lStaceyDooley:
FaceToFaceWith
TheBountyHuntersis
onBBC1on 31 Julyand
BBC3viaiPlayerScott says
I’m a naturalN’T
...
Mymum’s
turnedher
lifearoundStaceymeets
thehunters
The job’s
dangerous – but
exciting, tooa Taser and a hand gun.
Hardcore, I thought.
We exchanged messages.
My family will be furious if
I sign up, I wrote honestly.
Scott was sympathetic, and I
found myself opening up to him.
Soon, talk turned to more
personal matters. And,
although we’d never met, I
started to see Scott as a friend.
I’ve just always wanted...
more than what I have here,
I admitted one night.
If you ever need
anything, I’m here to
help, Scott replied.
After three
months, I knew
I had feelings
for Scott. He was
unlike any other
man I’d ever
met. He was
kind, gentle,
always asking
if I was OK.
Let’s meet,
I suggested one day.
A few days later,I sneaked out to
Scott, waiting in his car.
Will I like him as much
in person? I fretted.
But when I saw him,
my worries vanished.
He’s so handsome,
I thought.
‘It’s great to finally
meet you,’ I giggled.
The next few hours
with Scott felt likea world away from the
life I was used to. It made
me realise it was possible
to achieve my dreams.
Scott and I continued
to meet in secret, and a
relationship blossomed.
Shortly after, my dad
spotted Scott pull up near
the farm. When I admitted
we were dating, my
parents weren’t happy
and, in the end, I left home.
‘Stay with me until
you’re back on your feet,’
Scott said to me.
Leaving my family
was tough, I missed them.
But, for the first time, I
was free to do what I liked.
‘Teach me to be a bounty
hunter,’ I told Scott.
So, in October 2016,
I started the three-day boot
camp. It was intensive –
I learnt how to fire a weapon
and about gun safety.
‘You’re a natural,’
grinned Scott.
Once I’d qualified, I still
had no experience, so Scott
offered me a placement.
On one of my first jobs, we
were sent to pick up a man
who’d borrowed bail money, yet
skipped his court date. Unless
we tracked him down and
brought him in, the authorities
wouldn’t reimburse us.
Arriving at the man’s house,
I followed Scott inside.
A scuffle broke out.
Scott cornered the man
in the bathroom, while two
women threw kitchen utensilsat me. As I tried to calm the
situation down, Scott was
forced to used his Taser.
With one zap, the man fell
to the ground, allowing Scott
to get everything under control.
After, as we hauled the man
back to jail, I felt adrenaline
pumping through my veins.
This job is dangerous,
I realised. But I was more
excited than scared.
After a whirlwind
relationship, Scott and
I married that December
in a simple ceremony with
a couple of witnesses.
And I’m now an official
member of his bounty-hunter
team. Together, we bring
people to justice.
In November 2017, Scott had
to arrest my biological mother,
when she failed to turn up to
court on burglary charges.
Even though she didn’t
raise me, she’d been in my life,
on and off, from my adoption,
and since I’d left my family,
we’d reconnected.
But, now, she’d been caught
stealing from a supermarket.
Sending my mother to jail
was one of the hardest things
I’ve had to do. But everyone
should obey the law.
She’s out now, and has
turned her life around –
something for which she
credits Scott and I.
‘You made me see running
wasn’t the answer,’ she said.
It’s these kind of victories
that make my job worthwhile.
It’s not for everyone.
It’s tough, scary at times.
But firms like the ones
I work for allow people with
no savings to pay for bail,
and spend extra time
with their families, or get
their affairs in order
before court.
That’s a human
right which should
be protected at
all costs.