Colton Harris Moore, popularly known as the Barefoot Bandit, is a criminal from Camano Island, Washington. He is of American descent. By the time his crime spree ended, he was being charged with bank robbery, attempting to flee, possessing a gun while a fugitive, burglary, identity theft, and theft of a motor vehicle, among other offenses. In addition, he was charged with smuggling a stolen boat and an aircraft both abroad and domestically.
He grew up at his mother’s house on Camano Island, Washington. When he was younger, his father severely mistreated him. He started breaking things, not paying attention to the teachers, and starting fights at school as a result. Colton began living in the woods at the age of seven, when he broke into vacation homes to steal supplies.
Despite staying at home, he made sure he had everything he needed. He was twelve when he was first convicted, and thirteen when he had three more. For every conviction, Colton was never given a sentence longer than ten days. When police discovered a pilfered camera in his home in 2003, they sentenced him to three years in a halfway house, from which he eventually fled. So, let’s know more about Colton Harris Moore, keep reading.
15 Unknown Facts about the Colton Harris Moore:
1. Colton’s Nickname was “The Barefoot Bandit”
More than a hundred break-ins in the states of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Indiana are allegedly the work of Colton. He left bare footprints at multiple crime scenes. As his moniker suggested, Harris-Moore had no shoes on when he was apprehended.
2. Colton Harris Moore Lived in the Forest
Colton Harris Moore “thrived” in the woods after moving out of his parents’ house when he was seven years old. He would break into vacation homes and steal blankets, food, and water before heading back to the forest. According to the authorities, he had skills that it was impossible to catch him as long as he was in the woods.
3. He Had a Troubled Childhood
His mother’s name is Pam Kohler. Colton Harris-Moore grew up on Camano Island in Washington’s Puget Sound. According to some sources, his father abandoned the family when he was 2 years old. He remained close to his stepfather until his death. He was 7 years old when his stepfather died. When he was a young child, his drug-addicted father got in jail. Given that Colton Moore’s mother, Pamela Kohler, was a drunk who had broken some of his belongings, his neighbors believed he had been abused and neglected.
4. Colton Harris Moore Once Bought Sophisticated Night-Vision Goggles
To help with his adventures, Colton Harris Moore upgraded to night-vision goggles with infrared capabilities. Instead of trying doors and hoping the homeowners weren’t home, he would use the advanced equipment he had recently purchased to scan and determine which properties to raid.
5. He Learned How to Steal Identities
Colton Harris Moore used computers to learn identity theft after discovering that some of the homes he broke into had them. With the homeowner’s information, he was soon able to order credit cards, which he used to purchase food and survival supplies.
6. Colton Harris Moore Attracted A Vast Following
Despite posing a threat to law enforcement and his victims, Colton Harris Moore amassed a devoted following very rapidly. They couldn’t believe how easily he could smuggle cars out of a detention facility, give the cops the finger, and vanish into the woods.
7. At 16, he was facing over 23 criminal charges.
Colton Harris Moore was into custody and placed under arrest on February 9, 2007. At sixteen, he had already committed more than twenty-three crimes, most of them were break-ins at homes. He got a three-year sentence to serve at Green Hill School, a high-security juvenile detention center in Chehalis, after reaching an agreement with the prosecutors and entering guilty pleas to some of the charges.
8. He studied aircraft manuals to become a pilot
From an early age, Colton Harris Moore had a passion for flying aeroplanes. He would play the computer game Microsoft Flight Simulator for endless hours. Moore read instruction manuals and watched instructional DVDs to further his piloting knowledge after he got into the burglary business. Interestingly, he used credit cards stolen to buy these materials online.
9. He Stole and Flew Several Aircrafts
Colton Harris Moore stole a Cessna 182 from a hangar while he was on Orcas Island. He took the aircraft 300 miles east and crashed on the Yakama Indian Reservation. It turned out that Bob Rivers, the host of KZOK-FM radio station, was the owner of the stolen aircraft. The fact that the public had bought into the “folk-hero stuff” of someone flying an aircraft without official training did not amuse him. Moore went to Camano Island and stole three more aeroplanes.
10. He Moved Temporarily to Orcas Island
In August 2008, Colton Harris Moore fled Camano Island’s legal heat by stealing a boat and moving to Orcas Island, Washington. He needed to live here still, so he went back to his burglary exploits. Many high tech break-in cases were reported that time. After this, the Orcas Island Chamber of Commerce called a special meeting to discuss this.
11. He got the attention of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the FBI
Colton Harris Moore gained confidence and came to terms with his status as a “barefoot bandit” by 2010. He committed over 100 thefts in Canada, Washington, and Idaho, including hijacking cars, robbing groceries of $1000, and taking aeroplanes.
Even the grocery store he once stole from has his cartoonish feet drawn in chalk and snaking up and down the aisles, with the taunting message “C-Ya” at the end. The public’s enthusiastic support and the media’s fervor left the police looking foolish, which is why the FBI and DHS stepped in to help.
12. Colton Was Caught in The Bahamas
Colton Harris Moore ran out of avenues for escape and space to hide until the Special Forces intervened and a $10,000 bounty was on his head. His final relocation was to the Bahamas’ Harbor Island. There he was apprehended on July 11, 2010. He received a 7 year prison sentence, but got out in July 2016.
13. Documentaries and Books Inspired by Colton Harris Moore
Many books and documentaries are inspired by Colton Harris Moore’s adventures.. These include The Barefoot Bandit: The True Tale of Colton Harris-Moore, New American Outlaw by Bob Friel and the Barefoot Bandit Documentary.
14. He Reformed
Following his release, Colton Harris Moore released his mistakes and made an effort to make amends. He accepted a position at the Seattle Law Firm as his defense lawyer and hasn’t made headlines since. His parole officer vetoed his attempts to use social media to raise money for his training at aviation school. The entire sum of $129,000 went towards paying his victims.
15. He Was a Daredevil
In addition to his boldness in carjacking and stealing aeroplanes from hangars, Colton Harris Moore had the guts to raid areas guarded by law enforcement. His dog was once taken by the authorities and put in a dog pound in the hopes that Moore would come to get it and help them apprehend him. As predicted, the daredevil broke into the building and took his dog with him.