Colton Harris-Moore was only 17 when he managed to escape from a boarding school he was attending because of several burglaries. Infamous for years among the police and the community for many burglaries and thefts, he would be world famous 2 years later. During his years on the run, Colton stole 3 planes, dozens of cars, multiple boats and committed many burglaries. Despite his many crimes, Colton gained many fans and the rights to a film based on his life have already been sold.
Youth
Colton Harris-Moore was born on March 22, 1991 on Camano Island, Washington in the western United States. His parents were not married and separated when Colton was 2 years old. His father, Gordon Moore, had regular contact with him until Colton was about 12 years old. Gordon Moore was an alcoholic and served several stints in prison.
Colton’s mother was also an alcoholic who became violent when she got drunk. There were also many different men in the house during his childhood who brought their own problems, including drug addiction.
This unstable home situation caused Colton to try to flee his home at an early age. Camano Island is an island with a lot of nature and from the age of 7 Colton regularly fled into the forest. He then stole food from people’s homes and camped in the woods.
He was convicted for the first time for theft and burglary when he was 12 years old and a year later he had 3 more similar convictions to his name. A psychological evaluation revealed that he suffered from ADHD, intermittent explosive disorder and depression.
At first, the punishments he received for these offenses were relatively mild; he spent 10 days in detention or was sentenced to 6 months of municipal service. However, these sentences had no effect and Colton continued to steal and commit burglaries, resulting in him being sentenced to 3 years in February 2007, at the age of sixteen, to be served in a boarding school for juvenile delinquents. His escape from boarding school would spark an international chase that would last 2 years.
The chase
On April 29, 2008, Colton managed to escape from the boarding school. In the month after his escape, the number of burglaries on the island rose to 41. Police suspected Colton was camping in the woods on Camano Island and living off stolen food. Since it was an island, police believed it was only a matter of time before they could close him in. Despite several searches and the use of sniffer dogs, the police were unable to catch him.
On July 17, 2008, the police came very close. A stolen Mercedes Benz was located near a supermarket. Colton jumped out of the car and disappeared into the woods; Once again he was too quick for the police. Inside the car, police found several stolen items and a self-portrait of Colton that made him famous and created a fan base that continued to grow during his time on the run. His mother also encouraged him not to turn himself in and openly supported him. Following his growing fame, he left messages for police at places he had broken into. One involved an outline of a foot drawn in chalk, with the words c-ya (slang for see you, which means goodbye). Partly because of this and because of witnesses who saw him fleeing in bare feet, Colton was nicknamed the Barefoot Thief (the Barefoot Bandit). The increase in fame made Colton decide to flee from Camano Island to Orcas Island. During burglaries on that island, Colton stole credit card numbers, allowing him to steal people’s identities. He also escaped from the police several times by stealing boats. So far he has outsmarted the police on land and sea, but his next step brought him worldwide fame.
Since Colton always stayed on islands, the police reasoned that they would have to catch him sooner or later. After all, his hiding places would eventually run out. However, on November 12, 2008, Colton stole a Cessna 182 and flew it 300 miles before crash-landing in Washington state. According to his mother, he had never flown before and it is believed he learned to fly by reading a manual and practicing on flight simulators. This stunt taught the police that Colton was no longer a petty thief. The FBI and FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) began to pay attention to the case.
For a long time, police had no leads in the case until a noticeable increase in burglaries on the San Juan Islands in September 2009 suggested that Colton had returned to familiar territory. Evidence also suggested that Colton then fled to Canada in stolen cars. On September 28, 2009, a plane was stolen from Bon Ferry Airport in Idaho and subsequently made an emergency landing in Washington. On October 2, a camp with Colton’s fingerprints was found near the crash landing site. He is nowhere to be found and the next clue does not arrive until February 10, 2010. Once again he steals a plane, this time in Washington State, and flies it back to Orcas Island. He flies over Canada, which at that time had closed its airspace due to the Olympic Games in Vancouver.
On May 25, 2010, a veterinary clinic in Raymond, Washington receives a $100 donation from Colton. He then steals a boat nearby and sails to Oregon. Stolen cars are successively found in Idaho, Wyoming and South Dakota. Police suspect Colton is trying to flee east.
In South Dakota, Colton almost gets caught. He is caught red-handed during a burglary. A family comes home from vacation to find a naked young man in their house. It looks like he just got out of the shower and there’s a pizza in their oven. Colton points a laser at the man’s chest and orders him to leave the house with his family. Afraid that the laser is attached to a weapon, the family leaves and calls the police. By the time the police arrive at the house, Colton has fled.
A trail of stolen cars then leads police through Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois and Indiana. In the latter state, another plane is stolen. On July 4, 2010, this plane crashed near the Bahamas. Colton has been spotted several times on the islands and at least 7 burglaries there are attributed to him. Unfortunately for him, his freedom is short-lived. On July 11, 2010, the police finally managed to arrest him after more than 2 years on the run.
The criminal case
In the Bahamas, Colton was sentenced on July 13 to 3 months in prison or a $300 fine for illegally entering the country and illegally landing an aircraft. His mother paid the fine and Colton was flown back to America the same day. On December 16, 2011, he pleaded guilty to approximately 30 non-federal charges. These charges relate to the burglaries and thefts he committed in recent years in Washington. In 2012, his trial begins for the federal crimes he committed. These charges include transporting a stolen aircraft, boat and weapon across state lines, and operating an aircraft without a license.
Colton Harris-Moore says he is sincerely sorry for his crimes and is now preparing to study aeronautical engineering at university.