Some Believe "The Barefoot Burglar" Stole His Fourth Plane
By
Mike Mitchell
February 14, 2010
– It’s believed that on Wednesday night, Colton Harris-Moore stole his
fourth aircraft, a Cirrus SR22. The Cirrus SR22 appeared on radar at
11:30 PM skirting the
restricted airspace set up for the Vancouver Winter Olympics. The
aircraft was stolen from an airport in Skagit
County.
At that time FAA personnel didn’t
realize the aircraft was stolen however the FAA kept a close eye due to
its location and the aircraft was squawking the wrong transponder code
for approaching the restricted airspace.
About 11:45 PM, the FAA lost
contact with the Cirrus SR22 aircraft after it dropped from radar near
OrcasIsland.
Under further
investigation on Thursday the local sheriff learned about the stolen
aircraft and that a local grocery store, the Homegrown Market, had been
broken into.
Missing was $1,200 taken in cash, the dessert tray was
cleaned out, a camera surveillance system was destroyed and drawings of
a chalk outline of feet were made all over the floor suggesting "the
Barefoot Burglar", Colton Harris-Moore.
September 29,
2009, a Cessna 182-T airplane, registration N2183P, was stolen from its
owner's locked hangar in Bonners Ferry, Ohio. The airplane was
located two days later in
Granite Falls, Washington.
The aircraft had been flown and landed with sustained substantial damage
to the fuselage.
Colton Harris-Moore, born March 22, 1991, 18 years of age, 6’5”, 210
pounds, better known as Colt, grew up in a mobile home in an isolated
area of Camano
Island, located in the state of
Washington. At age two his biological father
left the home and at age 7 his stepfather died. It was reported the
stepfather was physically and emotional abusive and on one occasion his
stepfather choked him during an argument at a family barbecue. This
young man had great difficulties in the public school setting; he would
not listen to his teachers and was involved in numerous altercations at
school.
At age 8, Colton
began his stealing spree, starting off with a bicycle and then
graduating to stealing cars and breaking into homes and businesses. Each
time he was given a warning by local police. However, at age 12, Colton was convicted for the first time for
the possession of stolen property and served 3 months in detention. By
age 13, he Colton
had three more convictions.
In 2007, Colton
was convicted and sentenced to 3 years in a juvenile detention center.
However,
Colton was later
transferred to a halfway house because of good behavior. In 2008, while
serving time in the halfway home, Colton Harris-Moore escaped out a
second story window. At bed-check he was in his pajamas and when the
counselors left to do further rounds in the building, Colton climbed out
a second story window and has been on the run ever since and had begun
his infamous run with the law.
It has been
alleged that Harris-Moore has burglarized over 100 businesses and homes
throughout Washington,
Idaho and Canada. 50 of the break-ins occurred
since his escape in 2008. His mother, Pam Kohler, has stated, "Every
time he had anything any good, everyone thought he stole it..,""What does that do to a kid?"
Police now allege
he has graduated to stealing aircraft, although he has never taken
flying lessons. In November 2008, police believe the young man ordered a
flight manual on the internet and then stole a Cessna aircraft. The
aircraft was crashed landed 300 miles east of the island on an Indian
reservation. Since then police believe he is also responsible for
stealing two other aircraft. On Fox News, Harris-Moore's mother Pam
Kohler stated in an interview, "I hope to hell he stole those airplanes.
I'd be so proud. But put in there that I want him to wear a parachute
next time."
Camano
Island
is an island nestled in Puget Sound, it is located in the state of Washington. It’s about 25
miles north of Seattle and 120 miles
south of
Vancouver, Canada. Its population is just over
13,358 permanent residents as of the 2000 census. There are a handful of
country style grocery stores and restaurants. Camano was first settled
by the Native Americans Indians.
The island takes
its name from an early Spanish explorer, Jacinto Caamaño. The island
gets its revenue from tourism (17,000 tourists a year), shipbuilding,
light manufacturing and fishing. According to CamanoIsland
trends data, the number of jobs on
CamanoIsland has decreased by
23% since June 2008. CamanoIsland's job listings indicate that
the Island
hires mostly workers in Misc Store Retailers, Food Service Contractors,
Catering Services, Pet Care Services and Industrial Process Instruments
Mfg.
Colton
Harris-Moore has been turned into folklore in the Pacific Northwest. You can find T-shirts bearing his face
and or the words "Fly, Colton, fly" and
"Momma Tried" are now big sellers in Washington and on the internet. Colton has been decrypted
as the "the Barefoot Burglar" for the reason that he once kicked off his
shoes to flee deputies chasing him in the woods.
Colton’s
story can be found on the internet at such places as Youtube and
Facebook, with a huge fan club throughout the
United States
and worldwide. Colton
has over 18,000 followers on Facebook. There are many who are cheering
this fugitive on.
“Have fun while
you can.... be careful.. be smart. Fly south”, “He’s Back!!! Atta boy
Colt!”, “Fly Colton, Fly!”, “I think we should all name our children
Colton”, “You are are legend Dude! Continue to do
what you do best! Rock n' Roll”, “U go Barefoot Burglar!!!!”, “Colton,
thank you for not conforming to society's norms and for making me laugh!
I wish I had the guts, knowledge, and aptitude to live like you do,
never harming anyone, never getting caught”.
Some of the
townspeople are suggesting that his stealing spree is not for the money
but just to survive in the woods. It has been alleged that he broke into
a home, used the homeowner’s computer and credit card and ordered bear,
mace and a pair of $6,500 night vision goggles.
Colton
Harris-Moore continues to be on the run. At his mother’s trailer home,
Colton
escaped from a police raid. But before running he managed to leave a
note behind which stated, "Cops wanna play huh!? Well its no lil
game.....It's war! And tell them that." The
CamanoIsland police reported that during that same incident Colton
backtracked to his mother’s home. Unknown to them, while they
continued with their investigation, Colton went into a deputy's car and
stole an assault rifle.
Island County
Sheriff Mark Brown blew up at a “Today” show producer who asked him
about the made for Hollywood
aspect of the story. The sheriff stated, "He is an adult felon! I will
not have him made into some kind of folk hero." Colton Harris-Moore's
mother reports she does not know where he is and believes he is staying
with people who are providing him with a safe house(s).
