The End Of The Dream: Part 1

But Scurlock Deals Drugs Instead

(CBS)  On Thanksgiving eve, 1996, in Seattle, Wash., just after 5:30 p.m., the biggest bank robbery in American history got under way. The robbers fled with more than $1.08 million.

The heist was linked to a charismatic robber, known as "Hollywood," who had eluded police for four years while robbing 18 banks. But this would be his last stickup. Within 24 hours, he was hiding out in a dark camper in a strange backyard, surrounded by SWAT teams.

His style and panache caught the attention of bestselling author Ann Rule, who wrote a book about his life, "The End Of The Dream." 48 Hours Murder They Wrote reports on the fascinating story of a remarkable bank robber.

"Hollywood" was the nickname of Scott Scurlock, a preacher’s son from Reston, Va. He was born on March 5, 1955, but the story really begins in Hawaii, where he lived on and off in the 1970s, with his friend Kevin Meyers.

Scurlock and Meyers were childhood friends. In 1974, Meyers was a student at the University of Hawaii. Out of the blue, Scurlock simply showed up.

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School didn't work out for Kevin, but Hawaii did. He and Scurlock ended up living on a five-acre tomato farm on Oahu's beautiful North Shore. Meyers, an aspiring artist, supported himself with painting. Scurlock worked with a local landscaper. They fixed up the property. "It was heaven on earth." aays Meyers.

"They wanted to be one with nature," says Marge Mullins, who came for a visit and ended up moving in. "Live in the trees and play in the jungle, and swim in the ocean, and jump from the cliffs. They were invincible." Mullins says Scurlock was probably an adrenaline junkie.

"The highest cliff he could find, he wanted to jump," she says. "He was like the pied piper. He'd jump off the cliff. If anyone was with him, he'd tell them to jump, too."

Meyers saw Scurlock as a leader. "And he led you into something that by the time you came out of, you were very grateful you went, and you never would have chose it," he says.

The adventure ended in 1977. Scurlock planted some marijuana on the land. The landlord found out, and the days of cheap rent and high living in Hawaii were over. "He knew the difference between right and wrong, but he didn’t care one way or another," says Meyers of his friend.

Scott Scurlock

By 1978, Scurlock had enrolled at Evergreen College in Olympia, Wash. At one point, he dreamed of becoming a doctor. Professor Betty Kutter saw a bright future for Scurlock in science: "I would have thought hewas going off to be something very successful. Maybe start a business that was doing some innovative things in chemistry."

Soon enough, Scurlock was making money via chemistry - illegally, according to Meyers. He was producing methamphetamines, crystal meth. He even got some of his supplies from the school.

The money was good enough to buy 20 secluded acres in Olympia, with a non-descript house, perfect for camouflaging meth production. There, Scurlock built an amazing treehouse.

Longtime neighbor and friend Wendy Scofield says the treehouse was Scurlock’s pride and joy: "He was swinging from ropes, he thought he was Tarzan, he was whooping through the trees. But he always wanted to get that bit higher: Treehouse high, adrenaline high, crystal meth high, bank robbery high."

The treehouse, which took several months to construct, was built around seven cedars. It was three stories high, and reached 75 feet above the ground. There was a fireplace, electricity, hot and cold running water, and a working bathroom. "You’re like on this awesome sailboat, tucked into serenity," says Meyers.

His friend, Elizabeth Stanton, says Scurlock created a singular place. "He kind of pulls you into this magical world, where it was fun and happy and that can get addictive," she remembers. "People also kind of put him on a pedestal. He's this incredible guy. He built a tree house and he's dashing and he's fun and then he helps people out."

One of the people Scurlock reached out to was Kevin Meyer's brother, Steve. Once a successful sculptor in Europe, Steve Meyers had fallen on hard times. Scurlock hired him to help build the treehouse.

"There was nothing in the treehouse that you could say was consciously designed, and that was very much what Scott was like," says Steve Meyers. "Very much in the moment. And this self notion of being part of nature and a refusal to be a direct part of this American society."

But Scurlock liked certain aspects of that materialistic American society. "He spent his money travelling," says Stanton. "He liked good food and good wine and champagne."

Scurlock, who had dropped out of school, seemed to have it all. The drug business was paying the bills. He had plenty of girlfriends. But then, sometime between 1989 and 1991, Scurlock’s main distributor was murdered.

"Suddenly it brought home to him that this was a dangerous business. Not just un danger but danger danger," says Rule. Scurlock quit the drug business almost immediately.

What happens next? Find out:

Part II: A Modern-Day Robin Hood || Murder They Wrote Section