On this day in 2010, after a two-year manhunt, 19-year-old Colton Harris-Moore of Washington state is arrested following a high-speed boat chase in the Bahamas. Harris-Moore was suspected of stealing an airplane in Indiana and crash-landing it in the Bahamas the week before. Nicknamed the “Barefoot Bandit” for going shoeless during some of his alleged crimes, the teen was a suspect in scores of other burglaries in the U.S. and Canada, where he was accused of swiping everything from potato chips to credit cards, small planes, boats and cars. During his time as a fugitive, Harris-Moore gained a cult-like following online, with fans viewing him as a folk hero and praising his brazenness and his uncanny ability to elude law-enforcement officials.
Growing up on Camano Island, Washington, Harris-Moore had a difficult, impoverished childhood. He reportedly stole food from neighbors, had a turbulent relationship with his mother (his father spent time in jail and is believed to have been largely absent from the family) and was often in trouble at school before dropping out in the 10th grade. His first criminal conviction was at age 12, for possession of stolen property.
In April 2008, Harris-Moore escaped from a Renton, Washington, juvenile halfway house, where he was serving time for burglarizing homes. Over the next two years, he continued his crime spree, breaking into a long string of private residences and businesses, primarily in the Pacific Northwest, while camping in the woods and unoccupied homes. The teen, who learned to fly without any formal training, became a suspect in the theft of at least five small planes, all of which he managed to pilot and safely crash-land.
In early July 2010, Harris-Moore commandeered an aircraft in Bloomington, Indiana, and flew it to the Bahamas, where he crash-landed on Great Abaco Island. He allegedly went on to commit a series of break-ins throughout the Bahamas, before being nabbed in a stolen boat by Bahamian police in the early hours of July 11.
In November 2010 in a Seattle courtroom, Harris-Moore pleaded not guilty to five federal criminal charges, including interstate transportation of a stolen aircraft, stolen firearm and stolen vessel, and piloting an aircraft without a valid license. He remains in a federal detention center in Washington awaiting trial.
Also on This Day
- Lead Story
- Burr slays Hamilton in duel, 1804
- American Revolution
- British evacuate Savannah, Georgia, 1782
- Automotive
- President Woodrow Wilson signs Federal Aid Road Act, 1916
- Civil War
- Union notches a victory at the Battle of Rich Mountain, 1861
- Cold War
- Soviets agree to hand over power in West Berlin, 1945
- Crime
- Barefoot Bandit is captured in the Bahamas, 2010
- Disaster
- Gas fire incinerates crowded campsite, 1978
- General Interest
- First Quaker colonists land at Boston, 1656
- Skylab crashes to Earth, 1979
- U.S. establishes diplomatic relations with Vietnam, 1995
- Hollywood
- Hollywood Bowl opens, 1922
- Literary
- "Charlotte's Web" author E.B. White born, 1899
- Music
- The Hollwood Argyles' "Alley Oop" leads a novelty-song outbreak, 1960
- Old West
- Tall Bull dies, 1869
- Presidential
- John Quincy Adams is born, 1767
- Sports
- Babe Ruth makes MLB debut, 1914
- Vietnam War
- Public opinion approves bombing of North Vietnam, 1966
- Senators debate U.S. policy in Vietnam, 1967
- Thieu challenges NLF to participate in free elections, 1969
- World War I
- German command makes final plans for renewed offensive on the Western Front, 1918
- World War II
- Hitler is paid a visit by his would-be assassin, 1944
Jul 11, 2010:
Barefoot Bandit is captured in the Bahamas
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This Week in History, Jul 11 - Jul 17
- Jul 11, 2010
- Barefoot Bandit is captured in the Bahamas
- Jul 12, 1963
- The Moors Murderers begin their killing spree
- Jul 13, 1955
- Last woman hanged for murder in Great Britain
- Jul 14, 1881
- Billy the Kid is shot to death
- Jul 14, 1966
- A mass murderer leaves eight women dead
- Jul 15, 1953
- A notorious English killer is executed
- Jul 15, 2002
- John Walker Lindh accepts plea bargain
- Jul 16, 1979
- An army doctor is accused of stabbing his family to death
- Jul 17, 2011
- Casey Anthony released from prison
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