Colton Harris Moore on Dateline NBC
I had the chance to watch MSNBC’s Dateline tonight that featured Colton Harris Moore. The teenager Harris-Moore is suspected in about 50 burglary cases in the Seattle area since he slipped away from a halfway house in April 2008.
The 18-year-old, 6-foot-5, 200-pound teenager typically breaks into businesses or unoccupied vacation homes, lies on the couch and then dashes into the woods if confronted. He earned himself the nickname of “the barefoot burglar” by committing some of his crimes without wearing shoes.
But authorities say the case has taken on a dangerous new dimension now that Harris-Moore is apparently joyriding in small aircraft.
A Harris-Moore fan club has emerged on Facebook, and a Seattle man started selling T-shirts bearing his picture and the words “Momma Tried.”
RE: Colton Harris Moore-on
I saw the Dateline NBC piece but have yet to read the Rolling Stone article on this moron.
Anyway, I still don’t think the public at large – even here in Washington state – understands the depth of animosity that the people in Island and San Juan counties have toward this juvenile delinquent.
I have neighbors who use language such as “shoot first, ask questions later”. They make me look like a pacifist for saying I don’t have any interest in killing him but I have a five iron with his name written on it.
I am also angry about his recent thefts of private aircraft. I learned how to fly using these same air strips and they are not forgiving to pilots in anything less than perfect VFR conditions – especially pilots who do not know what they are doing. And trust me, Colton does not know what he is doing. Worse, he has been flying after sunset which makes it dangerous not only to my friends’ aircraft but a disaster could easily happen with houses that are very close to the airports.
Before people start signing up for his fan club they should realize how stupid this kid is. After all, you are making T-shirts with a digital photo he took of himself using a stolen camera… which he left behind when Island County deputies closed in on his outdoor hiding spot a few miles from my house. The next day the sheriff publicly thanked Colton for handing them a much needed current photo. Stupid is. Stupid does.
Guy Masterson
Camano Island, Wa.