December 16, 2011

'Barefoot Bandit' gets 7 years for crime spree

The young man who gained international notoriety as the "Barefoot Bandit" while evading police in stolen planes, boats and cars during a two-year crime spree was sentenced to more than 7 years in prison Friday.

Image: Colton Harris-Moore, John Henry Browne
Ted S. Warren  
Colton Harris-Moore, left, also known as the "Barefoot Bandit," talks with his attorney, John Henry Browne, right, in Island County Superior Court, Friday, Dec. 16, 2011, in Coupeville, Wash. Harris-Moore pleaded guilty Friday to burglary and theft charges in the Barefoot Bandit case. The 20-year-old softly answered affirmatively when the judge asked if he understood his rights. He said guilty when the judge asked how he wanted to plead. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
Wearing handcuffs and an orange jail uniform, Colton Harris-Moore pleaded guilty to a total of 16 counts from Island County, including identity theft, theft of firearm and residential burglary. Then the hearing continued with Harris-Moore pleading guilty to 17 counts from San Juan County.
Harris-Moore's daring run from the law earned him international fame and a movie deal to help repay his victims after he flew a stolen plane from Indiana to the Bahamas in July 2010, crash-landed it near a mangrove swamp and was arrested by Bahamian authorities in a hail of bullets.
Friday's proceedings before Judge Vickie Churchill consolidated cases against Harris-Moore in three Washington counties, including Snohomish. He has already pleaded guilty to federal charges in Seattle and will be sentenced for those crimes early next year. He will serve his state and federal sentences at the same time.


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