So-Called "Barefoot Bandit" Was Caught Trying To Escape By Boat

Colton Harris-Moore, who has gained notoriety as the "Barefoot Bandit", is in custody in the Bahamas. Harris-Moore, who has allegedly left a wake of destruction of other people's property in two years on the run from US authorities since escaping from a juvenile delinquent halfway house, was finally apprehended Sunday morning by Bahamian authorities, who say they Harris-Moore's stolen boat ran aground in shallow water before they shot out its motor near the island of Eleuthera.

Eleuthera NASA Photo

CNN reports that the 19-year-old reportedly tried to dispose of a computer and a gun during his capture, but it's not clear whether authorities recovered it. The boat in which he was captured was reported stolen, and Harris-Moore is a suspect in at least three burglaries and four attempted boat thefts in the Bahamas in the past week after allegedly ditching a Cessna Corvalis stolen from Bloomington, Indiana over the July 4th holiday weekend.

Aside from all the burglaries, cars and boats, Harris-Moore is suspected of stealing at least five planes, all of them valuable, high-performance models, and as might be expected for someone who's never taken flight instruction, crashing them all. The accomplished outdoorsman got his nickname from his MO, when witnesses reported a perp without shoes.

The reaction to the crime spree is as troubling as the crimes. Harris-Moore has over 60-thousand friends on Facebook. Donations are reportedly coming in to a defense fund set up for him in Washington state. His mother is said to be pursuing a book and/or movie deal. In CBS News video of the shoeless-and-shackled teen being escorted from a police plane in Nassau, a bystander is heard yelling, "we love you Barefoot Bandit!"

Harris-Moore is to be arraigned in the Bahamas before extradition requests from several US jurisdictions are processed.

FMI: www.bahamas.gov.bs