Jump to content

Colton Harris Moore

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by SpartanSWAT10 (talk | contribs) at 03:11, 12 July 2010 (Song was written twenty years before the kid was born, it has nothing to do with him). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Colton Harris-Moore
Born (1991-03-22) March 22, 1991 (age 33)
Camano Island, Washington, U.S.
Other names"Barefoot Bandit"
(aliases) Colton A. Harris, Colton Harris, Colton Moore, Colton A. Moore, Colton Koehler
CitizenshipUnited States
Known forTheft
Height6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Criminal charge(s)Interstate transportation of a stolen aircraft, escape, burglary
Criminal statusArrested by the Royal Bahamas Police Force
ParentPam Kohler
Notes

Colton A. "Colt" Harris-Moore (born March 22, 1991) is a former fugitive from Camano Island, Washington. He is suspected in the theft of at least five small aircraft, a boat and two cars, and in the burglaries of at least 100 private residences in various locations around the Pacific Northwest of the United States and Canada. On July 4, 2010, he may have stolen an airplane in Indiana and fled to the Bahamas. On July 11, 2010, Harris-Moore was caught in northern Eleuthera, Bahamas as he attempted to dock a boat at Harbour Island.

He became known as the "Barefoot Bandit" by reportedly committing several of his crimes barefoot, sometimes leaving behind a chalk footprint.

Biography

Colton A. Harris-Moore grew up in his mother's house in Camano Island, Washington.[2] Neighbors said they made several calls to Child Protective Services, believing Colton was neglected or abused.[2] Colton's abusive father walked out when he was about two years old, after attempting to choke him during an argument at a family barbecue.[3] According to his mother, Pam Kohler, his stepfather died when he was about seven years old, and from the time Colton was in the first grade, she knew there was "something off about him" – "sort of a disconnection". He wouldn't listen to his teachers, started altercations at school, and would sometimes deliberately break things around the house, Kohler said. He started living in the wild at the age of seven, and would break into vacation homes in the area, stealing blankets, food and water before disappearing into the forest for days.[4] His first conviction for stolen property came at age 12, and by the time he was 13, he had three more. Each conviction brought a 10-day stay in a detention center, or community service. His mother once said, "Every time he had anything any good, everyone thought he stole it. What does that do to a kid?"[5] In 2003, police found a neighbor's camcorder in his home. Never before sentenced to more than a month,[2] he fled a three-year sentence by walking out of a halfway house in April 2008.[6]

Suspected offenses

Harris-Moore is suspected of being responsible for approximately 100 thefts in Washington, Idaho, and Canada, including bicycles, automobiles, light aircraft, and speedboats.[3] It is believed that he learned how to fly small planes by reading aircraft manuals and handbooks and by playing flight simulator computer games.[4] One plane he stole was a Cessna 182 belonging to KZOK-FM radio personality Bob Rivers, which was valued at US$150,000. The plane was later recovered from the Yakima Indian Reservation, though it was so badly damaged that it was a total loss.[6] According to local sheriffs, he would often slip into a home just to soak in a hot bath or steal ice cream from the refrigerator. Initially, he would steal only what he needed for life in the woods as a survivalist. Once, he allegedly used a homeowner's computer and credit card to order bear mace and a pair of US$6,500 night vision goggles.[3]

On May 30 or 31, 2010, police found a handwritten note and US$100 at a veterinary clinic in Raymond, Washington, approximately 95 miles (153 kilometers) southwest of Seattle. The note read:[7]

Drove by, had some extra cash. Please use this money for the care of animals --Colton Harris-Moore, (AKA: "The Barefoot Bandit") Camano Island, WA.

In late June 2010, Colton suspected of vehicle thefts stretching as far east as Illinois. The trail of suspected thefts attributed to Colton passes through Idaho, South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, and Illinois. Police found a 2008 white Toyota Sequoia in Norfolk, Nebraska, which was reported stolen in Yankton, South Dakota. Later that day, several burglaries were reported at Karl Stefan Memorial Airport, located one mile (1.6 km) south of where the SUV was abandoned.[8][9] A truck owned by the town of Ottumwa, Iowa was later recovered in Dallas City, Illinois.[10] On July 4, 2010, a Cessna 400 single-engine plane was reported stolen from the Bloomington, Indiana airport – it was later found crashed in the shoreline waters of Great Abaco Island in the Bahamas, again leading to speculation that Harris-Moore was responsible.[11] Shortly afterward, there were several break-ins reported across the island.[12] The Royal Bahamas Police Force posted wanted posters across the island, featuring the teenager. One bartender claims to have spotted him in a sports bar on Tuesday, July 6, 2010, stating that he drank a beer and left after five minutes. He says that Harris-Moore was wearing a cap over his shaved head and was barefoot.[13]

On July 6, 2010, a federal judge in Washington state formally federally indicted Colton Harris-Moore for interstate transport of stolen property/airplane theft. The FBI was offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to his arrest, and federal agents believed that he was responsible for the recent Indiana theft.[14]

Notoriety

Harris-Moore became known as the "Barefoot Bandit" by reportedly committing his crimes while barefoot. In Fall 2009, police found footprints at an airport hangar in Bonners Ferry, Idaho; a Cessna 182 stolen from there crash-landed approximately 260 miles (418 kilometers) to the west near Granite Falls, Washington after a few unsuccessful attempts to land at the small airport there. Police in the San Juan Islands also found cartoonish, chalk-outlines of feet all over the floor of a grocery store that was broken into in February 2010.[7] In Fall 2009, a Facebook fan page was set up, drawing thousands of entries,[6] and one local Seattle man started selling T-shirts bearing his picture with the words, "Mama Tried".[5] Local people from Camano Island have also attempted to vent their frustrations through a song,[15] as well as a blog which includes the sale of merchandise and accepts donations to purchase the services of a bounty hunter.[16] In April 2010, 20th Century Fox purchased the film rights to the book Taking Flight: The Hunt for a Young Outlaw, based on a proposal by Bob Friel.[17] Harris-Moore's mother has retained celebrity lawyer O. Yale Lewis to seek control of entertainment interests related to her son. She has also hired John Henry Browne to handle her son's criminal defense.[18]

Capture

On July 11, 2010, a suspect believed to be Harris-Moore was captured just before dawn on the northern Bahamas island of Eleuthera.[19] Local officers picked up his trail in Eleuthera after recovering a 44 foot (13 meter) power boat stolen from a marina on Great Abaco. Harris-Moore was carrying a handgun that he tried to throw away. A police official said the suspect initially attempted to flee but police shot out the engine on his boat. He was taken to Nassau, where he faces possible extradition to the United States.

References

  1. ^ Mueller, Robert S. "Colton A. Harris-Moore (Wanted by the FBI)". Federal Bureau of Investigation. Retrieved July 10, 2010.
  2. ^ a b c Brooks, Diane (February 11, 2007). "Camano teen is 'in the right place now'". The Seattle Times. Retrieved October 9, 2009.
  3. ^ a b c McGirk, Tim (December 21, 2009). "America's Most Wanted Teenage Bandit". Time. Retrieved July 2, 2010.
  4. ^ a b "Colton Harris-Moore, the barefoot boy bandit, outfoxes sheriffs". The Sunday Times. December 6, 2009. Retrieved July 3, 2010.
  5. ^ a b Johnson, Gene (October 6, 2009). "Teen burglar's mom: 'I hope he stole those planes'". KATU. Retrieved July 3, 2010.
  6. ^ a b c Stevick, Eric (October 9, 2009). "Teen fugitive Colton Harris-Moore becomes a national celebrity". The Herald. Retrieved July 3, 2010.
  7. ^ a b "'Barefoot Bandit' Leaves Note, $100 At Raymond Vet Clinic". KIRO-TV. June 17, 2010. Retrieved July 3, 2010.
  8. ^ Flandro, Carly (June 22, 2010). "Possible 'Barefoot Bandit' sightings: S.D., Nebraska". The Seattle Times. Retrieved July 3, 2010.
  9. ^ "'Barefoot Bandit' now wanted in Nebraska". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. June 29, 2010. Retrieved July 2, 2010.
  10. ^ Holtz, Jackson (June 24, 2010). "Harris-Moore's trail extends to Illinois". The Herald. Retrieved July 2, 2010.
  11. ^ Holtz, Jackson (July 5, 2010). "Has 'Barefoot Bandit' hit the Tropics?". KOMO-TV. Retrieved July 6, 2010.
  12. ^ Falcon, Gabriel (July 8, 2010). "Possible sighting of 'barefoot bandit' reported in Bahamas". CNN. Retrieved July 9, 2010.
  13. ^ "Barefoot Bandit on the run in the Bahamas, after ditching light aircraft stolen from Indiana". Daily Mail. July 9, 2010. Retrieved July 9, 2010.
  14. ^ Falcon, Gabriel (July 6, 2010). "'Barefoot bandit' faces indictment". CNN. Retrieved July 7, 2010.
  15. ^ Coleman, Vernal (May 6, 2010). "Camano Islanders Vent Frustration Over Colton Harris Moore...in Song". Seattle Weekly. Retrieved July 3, 2010.
  16. ^ Coleman, Vernal (May 17, 2010). "Colton Harris-Moore Haters Now Have a Home on the Web". Seattle Weekly. Retrieved July 3, 2010.
  17. ^ "20th Century Fox is Taking Flight". Comingsoon.net. April 12, 2010. Retrieved July 2, 2010.
  18. ^ Sullivan, Jennifer; Carter, Mike (9 July 2010), "Law would allow mom to cash in on 'Bandit' son", Seattle Times, retrieved 2010-07-10
  19. ^ "Barefoot Bandit caught in Bahamas". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. July 12, 2010. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Colton_Harris_Moore&oldid=373012504"