James McDowell learned he could run but not hide from the police when the bright lights of television shone on him.

McDowell was arrested in California this past weekend after being featured on the television show, “American Most Wanted.”

Wanted on suspicion of identity theft, five counts of forgery, residential burglary and theft, the former South Whidbey resident was arrested Saturday by Carlsbad, Calif. police.

McDowell scammed a local woman out of thousands of dollars when he forged checks and money transfers from her bank account. But when the con man was featured on the show’s “15 Seconds of Shame” segment Saturday night, the tip lines began ringing off the hook.

Producers from “America’s Most Wanted” say it seemed that everyone in Carlsbad knew McDowell. For a guy who police say has been stealing and conning people out of money his whole life, it seemed ironic that some tipsters said he regularly gambled at the “Ocean’s Eleven” casino in Oceanside.

Sure enough, cops went to the casino and found out McDowell was a regular there. While on South Whidbey, McDowell frequented card rooms in Everett.

“We were very happy to be of assistance to the Whidbey Island cops on the McDowell case,” said Rob Bender, a producer with America’s Most Wanted.

McDowell fled Island county in December 2004 after scamming people here. The county then issued a $1 million bench warrant for his arrest.

In late 2004, McDowell cashed $136,500 in forged checks from a bank account that belonged to a friend. That friend filed a complaint about the forgery in December 2004. The victim told investigators she had known McDowell for years.

She told sheriff deputies that McDowell told her he was dying of cancer and he was trying to be admitted to a hospice facility. She said that she and McDowell opened a joint account in November 2004 in a bank in Mukilteo.

McDowell had asked for assistance paying his bills. He used $1,000 of his own money to open the account and promised to cash a certificate of deposit for around $35,000 and deposit it into the account. He never did. In the meantime, he not only forged checks on the joint account, but also accessed other accounts belonging to the woman.

“McDowell had lived on South Whidbey for a number of years and there have reportedly been several victims of other South Whidbey scams, which involved civil litigation because of business dealings with him,” said Jan Smith, spokeswoman for the sheriff’s office.

When the Carlsbad police picked McDowell up Saturday at a motel, McDowell reportedly answered the door naked and did not seem to know he had been featured on television.

Police say he had thousands of dollars of gold, silver, and cash on him when he was arrested. But, it seems like he was actually glad he was caught.

Police also said McDowell told the arresting officer that he was “happy he didn’t have to run anymore.”

South Whidbey law enforcement officials hope the crime fighting television show will bring another South Whidbey man to justice.

James Huden, who is charged with killing Russell Douglas, may be featured on the show.

But show producers don’t have a date set yet to air the show. A producer and camera crew filmed on the island last year, interviewing family members friends of the victim. Producer Bender said they were working on an script and finding actors for a re-enactment of the crime.

Huden disappeared in early 2004 after allegedly killing Douglas in December 2003 in Freeland. An arrest warrant charging Huden with first-degree murder was issued by the Island County Prosecutor’s Office in May 2005.

On the television show, real crimes are dramatically recreated, and viewers are asked to call in with information about the crime and the perpetrators.

The crime-solving television show claims it has brought nearly 900 fugitives to justice.