When Colton Harris-Moore was ten years old, a series of unfortunate events turned his world upside-down. Within a few months, his behavior worsened significantly, he became destructive and defiant, and he began what would be a considerable criminal career that would eventually reach epic proportions. Colton’s first arrest came at twelve years old, after he was picked up by police for breaking into homes and stealing property. Another arrest soon followed and by the time he was fifteen, Colton was on the run from police, who wanted him in connection with several robberies on Camano Island, a small island community in Puget Sound. After six months on the run, Colton was arrested and taken to a juvenile facility, but he escaped two months later and embarked on a crime spree, stealing everything from cameras and credit cards to cars and airplanes. Although he would be captured a little over two years later, by the time he was, Colton Harris-Moore had become notorious, with some going so far as to label him a folk hero.References Brooks, Diane. 2007. ""He's in the right place now"." Seattle Post-Intelligencer, February 11: 31. Corry, Dan. 2009. "Suspect's mother should shush now." Daily Herald (Everett, WA), October 9: 15. Holtz, Jackson. 2010. "Bounty hunter lays out his plan." Daily Herald (Everett, WA), June 2: 1. —. 2009. "Notorious burglar not ruled out." Daily Herald (Everett, WA), June 24: 11. —. 2008. "Notorious teen back on the run." Daily Herald (Everett, WA), May 1: 1. —. 2009. "Pilots duybious fugitive can fly." Daily Herald (Everett, WA), September 24: 1. —. 2010. "Signs of teen fugitive in thefts." Daily Herald (Everett, WA), February 12: 1. —. 2008. "Teen can't run forever, police say." Daily Herald (Everett, WA), July 19: 1. —. 2007. "Teen said he was trouble." Daily Herald (Everett, WA), February 8: 9. —. 2011. Fly, Colton, Fly: The True Story of the Barefoot Bandit. New York, NY: New American Library. Holtz, Jackson, and Kaitlin Manry. 2007. "Boy faces list of charges." Daily Herald (Evertt, WA), February 13: 1. Owens, Ryan, and Sarah Netter. 2010. 'Barefoot Bandit' Colton Harris-Moore Deported to Miami. July 13. Accessed October 21, 2026. https://abcnews.com/US/TheLaw/barefoot-bandit-deported-colton-harris-moore-face-miami/story?id=11154651. Raftery, Isolde. 2011. "'Barefoot Bandit' gets prison for stealing from neighbors." New York Times, December 17. Stevick, Eric. 2009. "Teen fugitive becomes celebrity." Daily Herald (Everett, WA), October 9: 1. Sullivan, Jennifer, and Erik Lacitis. 2010. "'Barefoot Bandit' captured." Longview Daily News , July 12: 1. Yardley, William. 2011. "'Barefoot Bandit' pleads guilty to 2-year theft spree." New York Times, June 18. Young, Delton. 2007. Forensic Psychological Examination, Colton Harris-Moore. Psychiatric evaluation, Bellvue, WA: Psychiatric Associates, PLLC. Cowritten by Alaina Urquhart, Ash Kelley & Dave White (Since 10/2022) Produced & Edited by Mikie Sirois (Since 2023) Research by Dave White (Since 10/2022), Alaina Urquhart & Ash Kelley Listener Correspondence & Collaboration by Debra Lally Listener Tale Video Edited by Aidan McElman (Since 6/2025) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
