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102 – Colton Harris-Moore: The Barefoot Bandit
41 Plays12 days ago
Jeff tells the unbelievable true story of Colton Harris-Moore, better known as the “Barefoot Bandit.”
As a teenager, Harris-Moore became one of the most infamous fugitives in modern American history after a string of burglaries, thefts, and daring escapes across multiple states. Known for committing crimes barefoot and leaving footprints behind, he captured national attention with his ability to evade authorities while stealing cars, boats, and even airplanes—despite having little to no formal training.
What began as local break-ins spiraled into an international manhunt that ended in the Bahamas after years on the run. His story became a strange mix of true crime, media fascination, and internet folklore.
Spoiler Alert: This episode contains spoilers for the Netflix documentary Should I Marry a Murderer.
Visit us on Linktree for the collection of links, Instagram, or email us at jeffandsamshow@gmail.com.
Sources
- Wikipedia – Colton Harris-Moore
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colton_Harris_Moore - Tuko – What Happened to Colton Harris-Moore After Release?
https://www.tuko.co.ke/entertainment/celebrities/618703-what-happened-colton-harris-moore-release/ - HistoryLink – True Crime: The Barefoot Bandit
https://historylink.org/File/10397
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Transcript
Introduction and Podcast Overview
00:00:00
Speaker
Hello, Sam. Hi, Jeffrey.
00:00:24
Speaker
Welcome to the Jeff and Sam Show. I am Jeff. And I'm Sam. Yes, you are. And we're here doing this thing again and again. What more do you want?
00:00:35
Speaker
Really, people, what more do you want? Sam, you're yawning. I'm sorry, I just told a 21-page story. So, yeah, we just finished the HH Home story that you guys heard last week. And we're recording this story also after that story because I will be... It's future time talk and I get confused.
00:00:59
Speaker
When this comes out, I will be in Alabama again. Right. Laying by the pool. Because the one we recorded just a week ago comes out while you're still in town. Something like that. Absolutely. This is what gets us. We travel too much. We need to be able to do this while traveling.
00:01:15
Speaker
Well, we can. We have that little box now.
00:01:18
Speaker
But won't. Do you think we should take it to Norway? No, we should not. Are you sure? Yeah. Don't you have those little phone mics? Because we ain't doing shit. But on top of a mountain, we can we can be like, and I'm Sam.
True Crime Episode Discussion
00:01:32
Speaker
we have so Look, we're a true crime, a history, a comedy podcast. Oh, yeah. Yeah.
00:01:40
Speaker
We have a little bit of it all. If you heard last week's episode, that was pure true crime. And history. Fuck. That was good. I'm still not over that only because we just recorded it.
00:01:50
Speaker
Even though it's been a week that you're hearing this. But at least at this point, we remember what we recorded. Because by the time we walk away from this, we won't remember either of these. we do We already forgot. As much time as I spent on that, as much time as we spent on these stories, the moment we walk away from the mics, you talk to us and we're like, what episode?
00:02:08
Speaker
Okay, ah you. Yeah. Should I marry a murderer? Oh, fucking hell. let me get my Let me get my notepad out because I want to punch you in the throat for this. Okay. Okay.
00:02:22
Speaker
I won't because you scare me. But let me just, this this is just word vomiting in case. This is exactly what I wrote at the time. So what, and I say this with my whole soul, the actual fuck.
00:02:35
Speaker
First thing, obviously, love the accents and the Scottish Highlands and all this stuff because duh. But also, I'm fucking dead. I have so many angry, dumbfounded, brain numb like things to say about this chick.
00:02:48
Speaker
She's very sweet and you want good things for her? But absolutely immediately I wanted to punch her in the vagina. Okay. So the moment she said, well, he's like a different person when he drinks. I'm out. It's a hard fucking note for me, dog. Like, you turn into ah a different person. Like, there's drunk Sam, you know.
00:03:08
Speaker
Drunk Sam's a little loosey-goosey. But drunk Sam's not a fucking sociopath. Okay. So... Let's go visit this psycho killer to say goodbye, right? Because, like, we turned him in.
00:03:21
Speaker
Like, that's the smart thing to do. It took you a while, but, like, But when we say goodbye, let's suggest that we get guns and play out in the dark in the middle of the very isolated highlands. Okay?
00:03:37
Speaker
That's a really good idea. Guns. Okay. Angry. I was very angry during this. I just really wanted to punch her in the vagina. And I know that that's really bad to say because, like, this poor girl went through some things. but also it was very self-induced.
00:03:49
Speaker
She did this. The shame she felt at like, oh, my family's gonna judge me, my friends are gonna judge me because I just got
Caroline's Story and Struggles
00:03:56
Speaker
engaged to this guy. Like, oh, I'm such a failure. Yeah, I mean, you Because you knew him for- didn't know until after the fact.
00:04:07
Speaker
Jeff. Jeff. Jeff, it was two months. It was two months. After he proposed to her is when he told her, oh, I did this. I accidentally ran over the cyclist, right? Yes, but he told her after he proposed to her. However, he proposed to her after knowing her for max two months. Red flag. Okay. So like, I get it. You're caught up and you're in your 30s and you want your future and you have this thing and he's magical and it's wonderful and yay. It's so, but like you're in your 30s. You know, you're not in your 20s. So you know that the whole whimsical,
00:04:51
Speaker
crazy fast like you know that that's not a good idea yeah that's the thing is like and you're a doctor you're a so you have a brain at least average intelligence one can assume yeah no i felt a lot i feel a lot like you but i also kind of tried to empathize with her because she did do the right thing. She she dropped the the can, the Red Bull can, where the body was, right? She was terrified. she turned him into the cops.
00:05:25
Speaker
And when she turned him into the cops, they... Sort of fucked her over, which made her spiral. And the thing that the woman said in the last episode, I guess she works for the Crown or works. The victim advocate people. they I couldn't agree with her.
00:05:42
Speaker
She was like, they have mistreated this woman. Yeah, they failed her. But you had the man. You had the the the just the... The attorney, the lawyer. He was like, from our vantage point, yeah she did not qualify for these services.
00:05:55
Speaker
And you have the advocate going, not only did she qualify for the services, the mental health services. yeah the The protection. like And so I do get that. And so I do have a note that's like, yeah, um from an objective place, I understand she wanted so badly for her happily ever ending. And like she...
00:06:15
Speaker
She did genuinely feel like he treated her well, you know, when he was sober and when they were doing things. Like, he was a he was a decent guy to her, right? And that's awesome. um But i can genuinely, genuinely, genuinely, genuinely 112% say that ain't gonna catch me dead in this situation.
00:06:37
Speaker
of further i will i will absolutely be like, hey, that's super cool. Yeah, no, I definitely won't tell anyone. And I'm immediately going to the cops. So by the way, we're talking about this documentary on Netflix called Should I Marry a Murderer? And...
00:06:54
Speaker
she decide She meets this guy on Hinge or whatever. They meet and he's somewhat handsome guy and he's nice to her. Well, and she's also like post like her long-term relationship where she thought everything was going to end in happily ever after in marriage. Like they'd been together for eight years. So now she's,
00:07:10
Speaker
in this weird quarter life crisis where she's like, oh my God, i'm i'm not married, i'm I don't have kids, I'm, so she's dating with intent and then she meets this guy. And then they, he asked her to marry him. Sandy is his name, Carolyn's her name. Sandy asked Caroline or Carolyn to marry him. She says yes and then he's like, oh, by the way, three years ago 2017,
00:07:38
Speaker
My brother was driving a car, and I think I was in the car with him. ah Was he in the car with Alexander? They were both in the car And they accidentally hit a cyclist. Now, had the rest of that story went, and we took him to the hospital, and you know we did what we could for him, and maybe we served time, then, okay, that's one thing.
00:07:59
Speaker
But that did not happen. That did not happen. Then... They were drunk driving. They were very intoxicated, and they had admitted, and they hit the cyclist, and at the first time when he told her, he kind of left it as, like, he was dead. Like, we hit him, we hit him so fast that he was dead.
00:08:19
Speaker
So, like, we couldn't ruin our lives. We had to we had to get rid of the body. See, right there, I'm out. Right there. i'm and out and But then when he comes back to her and told her the rest of the story, which is, well, we had to go and get some stuff. And when we came back, he was still alive. His brother actually told her that.
00:08:40
Speaker
Alexander told her that. No, Alexander is Sandy, the other brother. His
Impact of Justice System on Caroline
00:08:45
Speaker
twin brother. So Sandy is Alexander. Okay. His twin brother. I can't remember his name. yeah He like pulls her aside.
00:08:52
Speaker
at where They're at a party and she still hasn't gone to the cops at this point, I don't think. And so the the twin pulls her aside and is like, hey man, like he's he's really fucked up in the head. like That guy was still alive. Right.
00:09:08
Speaker
So they left the man alone and alive on the side of the road to go do whatever they did. Changed their clothes, changed their vehicle, put on gloves, and then come back.
00:09:21
Speaker
He was still alive when they came back. Caroline or Carolyn finally, she gave the cops a hint of where the body was. She told the cops where the body was, which, you know, some could argue maybe she should have done that sooner. Maybe, I don't know. I don't know what I would do if I was in her situation because I wouldn't be in her situation. But then, like, she goes to the cops and then right there is where it all gets fucked up because the cops...
00:09:51
Speaker
They interviewed the guys. They couldn't arrest the guys. yeah so it was There was no case against them. Yeah, Scottish law, I think you can't even like hold the people on on the um the assumption.
00:10:09
Speaker
And so they interviewed them and then had to release them. And then they wouldn't let them back to their... like this this big property that they had where Carolyn said the body was buried.
00:10:23
Speaker
So then they spent, because they needed absolute evidence, they spent like a week searching and trying to find as much possible evidence to make it a a foolproof case of murder against these twins.
00:10:40
Speaker
To which they left Carolyn like on her own with these guys and she's the one that turned them in. And she's just hoping, they're like, oh, no, no, we didn't tell them, like, no worries. And Carolyn's like, yeah, but they're murderers. And she had what is, to me, that was the most uncomfortable mental health break I've ever seen.
00:11:03
Speaker
It was really, really intense. It was hard to watch. I will say that. it was very honest. She was very honest with what she went through. Which I appreciate that part. Yeah. But it was super hard to watch. And I, the whole recording myself, the thing that, one of the things that made me uncomfortable. Was it she recorded everything? day She recorded herself crying the whole time. This is in my thing.
00:11:26
Speaker
It's like she was looking at herself in the phone crying. I don't... That's something I will never understand. Yeah. She recorded her whole mental health breakdown. Yeah. On Snapchat. But I will say, the only thing... The only thing... Because I've i've made a note of that, too. I was like, I i don't i don't live... No. whatever What is that called? I don't live record me. I'm not going to record myself every time I cry. Well, not even just that. She recorded every moment of everything. him, too. Yeah. him, too. And so...
00:12:02
Speaker
That, to me, was, like, kind of obnoxious. And then I realized, like, oh, wait a second. This is, like, prime COVID. It's 2020, right? Oh, yeah, true. So everything was kind of... Recorded.
00:12:16
Speaker
You know, because people were trying to stay in touch with people that they otherwise could not see. But she said she didn't send those to anybody. She just recorded them on Snapchat. Well, I thought that was during the... When she was, like, in her...
00:12:28
Speaker
For Spiral. Like Spiral and like went on the hike. She didn't send it to anyone. But I think the other ones, I don't know. but I don't know. it was super uncomfortable to watch. You know, props to her for putting that shit out there like yeah she did because maybe that'll help somebody else. But damn, girl.
00:12:44
Speaker
hope you find some kind of peace. mean, she has as of the end of that show at least. And that's good. But, you know, yeah, it was I think it was really hard to watch because she was a very successful – very beautiful like doctor you know she was a pathologist she was a really really she was doing good things for herself and to watch how far she fell and to hear how again the the the justice system failed her and like she thought that her only options were to go back to
00:13:20
Speaker
that That was my takeaway from the whole thing was that the justice system failed her.
Documentary Reflections
00:13:24
Speaker
Yeah. and And they, I mean, that woman acknowledged it and I wish the lawyer had, but like, you know, obviously I wouldn't make the decision to stay with Sandy after he told me that, especially after the next thing was told to me.
00:13:40
Speaker
yeah Yeah. You know, but like, that's all that's over with. That's done. And she did go to the cops and then because they didn't do what they should have done, protect her. She was afraid. She fucking spiraled. She was doing cocaine. She was drinking. She was psychotic. She had, she was in psychosis. manic yeah She was fully manic and she's got the, it's all on video. It's on her Snapchat.
00:14:02
Speaker
And I mean, yeah, it was, it was, that was hard to watch. It really was painful. I mean, I, again, i think I don't know. I'm just an asshole. So like, I think it's hard to, because I'm like,
00:14:15
Speaker
I don't feel, i don't feel like as deeply or as hard as she does. And there's other people that I know do. And like, I think watching it, I was stuck in my head where I was like, this, I genuinely just don't understand. Like, yeah, you can have a rip-roaring time with someone. But at one point she said like,
00:14:39
Speaker
you can't just turn your feelings off for someone. And I just, i feel very strongly that like, I disagree with that because i think the, the, the fact that she got as deep in with him and her emotions were so strong. I think that kind of is a sign of an underlying mental health problem in itself. Um, and so,
00:15:09
Speaker
It's it's it kind of leads you to think like
00:15:14
Speaker
that is a very, very, very intense two months, you know. And to get proposed to and to say yes, like, and to stick with it.
00:15:28
Speaker
Like, you know, if you're drunk one and you're like, oh my God, we should get married. And then you wake up the next day you're like, that's insane. So when you walked by me at work and i said, when I was watching it and you walked by and I was like, oh my God, or whatever I said, that was because that was the moment I found out that they left the dude alive. Yeah.
00:15:47
Speaker
yeah By himself after they hit this man on a cycle who had survived cancer. The cancer survivor Navy veteran who was riding his bicycle across the country for charity.
00:16:00
Speaker
In 2017. And the father and husband, like, yeah, that was... And then I think the thing that, I think the thing that, like, kept getting me was...
00:16:13
Speaker
she had such negative self-talk about herself that she allowed herself to believe that like she kept saying like, oh, I was split. Like there was this part of me that still loved him and thought this thing. And then I was like, but the truth is, is like, you've known this man for two months. Like, You don't, you cannot know someone.
00:16:35
Speaker
You cannot know someone for that. And so towards the the later parts where he was staying in her apartment with her. And she's like, I'm just surprised. Like the man that i love isn't there. Like he doesn't exist. And he's talking about this so...
00:16:53
Speaker
So crudely. And he just, I can't believe he said like it was either him or me or, and like the things that he was saying, like he shouldn't have been there. He was blaming the victim. And i'm like, why are you surprised by that?
00:17:05
Speaker
Like you, this, this shouldn't surprise you. You're acting like this is, I think she's like a lot of people. You know, not everybody is, it's white. Not everybody is like me. not white or black for everybody. for forever but For a lot of people, it's gray, right? And I appreciate that. And after she made the decision to stay with him, after she turned him in,
00:17:29
Speaker
That's when I thought, okay, she's decided that. That's done. We can't change it. Do you know what i mean? But that's when the cops let her the fuck down. Everything she did after that, that spiral, was because nobody was protecting her. yeah She was on her own after she...
00:17:46
Speaker
And or so it was worsened because she was truly alone because they wouldn't let her back to work because the body was then at her place of work. So she had to go on leave. So that was the only thing she had had that was like keeping her good to go because she was really proud of her work. And then they told her that she had to take leave and then she had to be in her home alone.
00:18:06
Speaker
Like she was alone and she was ashamed. So she couldn't talk to her parents because she didn't want them to like hate her. Yeah, no. um i hate you for making me watch that.
00:18:16
Speaker
But I did. i binged it that night when we when I left. Three episodes, easy. ah so when you had finished watching it, i still hadn't finished watching it. Oh! so after we recorded the last time, I went i finished watching it ok that night. Okay. Yeah.
TV Show Recommendations
00:18:32
Speaker
yeah Cringe, cringe. I hope she's better, though. Because what she saw in herself, what we saw her, that was a hard thing to watch. And it was really mental. But it takes something to be able to put that out there. Absolutely. And she even put the Snapchat videos in the documentary. Oh, my God. You can see it in her But good for her. Yeah. But she was manic as hell when she went on that hike. Like, she was supposed to go testify at court. She was subpoenaed to show up. Star witness subpoena.
00:19:04
Speaker
Yeah. I mean, we shouldn't tell the end. But we just spoiled the whole damn thing. We did. Watch it if you want. Just watch it because it's for there's a lot that we're not able to like put into this, but watch it. Get strong reactions from us. Yeah. Very strong reactions. I knew exactly kind of how you would feel, though. did. knew it. Yeah. Well, don't Yeah. um On a different note, there's two two other things...
00:19:30
Speaker
ah You know that I was watching Imperfect Woman. I finally finished that. It was only eight episodes, so it was very good. It's on Apple TV. Okay, that's the one that you were telling Brittany about. Yes. Because I wanted to ask what you were talking about. Yeah. Because I wanted a good show. Yeah, so watch it. Is it like suspense? It's thriller, suspense, and then I think that they just did such a good job with like all of the red herrings. you know um i liked it a lot. I did. And I mean, I just love...
00:20:01
Speaker
Kate Mara and Kerry Washington. Like, you can't you can't go wrong with them. um Very good vibes. Okay. And then the other one, it's a British show also on Apple TV, Criminal Record. Ooh. Watch it. Shut the fuck up. A British show that I haven't heard of? How is that even possible? good. Like my BritBox? Yeah. it on BritBox? No, it's, well, I haven't looked on BritBox, but I know it's on Apple.
00:20:25
Speaker
um And then there's a new movie on Netflix with Rachel McAdams in it. Oh, okay. It's called Send Help. You got to send me these in a text because um ok I've been just watching Bosch lately. Yes. Which is so not a typical show for me. Which is funny because that's the spinoff from... What show did I watch that I love? Female.
00:20:51
Speaker
Yeah. She was... It's it's got... um Yeah. Oh, my God. Oh. She's beautiful. Yes. Why can't I think her name? We'll come back to it. Yes. But yeah Bosh is so, it's just like a reliably great show. Yeah. So then you have to, you have to watch the other one.
00:21:08
Speaker
And Bosh is kind of hot. I can see that. Yeah. the eyes. It's the vibe. It's gray hair, the blue eyes, the just. Yeah. It's a thing. The year long tan that he's got going on.
00:21:20
Speaker
He's got the glue. He's got the glue. The glue. Yeah. um Okay. I can't. Maggie keel Wait, that's the show? No. That's the actress. Oh. was like, that's not the show watched. That's not the actress.
00:21:33
Speaker
I can't believe it. I don't know. well um It's like on the tip of my tongue. It's the spinoff from Bosch. I guess she's one of the characters in the later later seasons of Bosch. Yeah. Somebody somewhere is like, it's this. It's this. I don't know, but Bosch is good. It's just a reliable show. it is Maggie Q. Type in spinoff from Bosch.
00:21:56
Speaker
that Ballard. Ballard. Fucking hell. Such a good show. Such a good show. Yeah, okay. And I watched Ballard first. I've never seen Bosch until like a week ago. Yeah, so. So Ballard is not in Bosch yet. I'm only on season one. Okay, okay, okay. But when on Reddit, somebody was like, if you like Bosch so much, Ballard is in that family of Bosch something. So then I went in to watch Bosch. yeah.
00:22:22
Speaker
Honestly, just a good show. so good. Very just. love it. It's not my typical. i just didn't have anything else to watch. But now I can. I'm in the story. Like I'm on season season two.
00:22:33
Speaker
There you go You're committed. I'm committed. Cheers, queers. Cheers, queers. I'm drinking my. um At this point, it's a little bit old Diet Coke. It'll do me, though.
00:22:45
Speaker
It'll do. It'll do, pig. Remember, I'm going to get a dog and name it Pig just so I can say that. That'll do, Pig. That'll do, Pig. That'll do, Pig. Do you know what that's from? Babe. Perfect. Shut your face. I'm just saying, there's some people that don't know. Also...
00:22:58
Speaker
Yesterday at work, I wanted to punch someone in the face because I know that we work with young people. Like we work with 18, 19, young 20 year olds, right? And you know, don't feel like I'm a different generation. I know I'm a different generation, but I'm still young and spry. And sometimes they say things that make me just want to punch them because yesterday
00:23:20
Speaker
i was talking about a phone that was still attached to the wall. Okay. And someone was like, What fuck? And i was like, what do you mean, what the fuck? And I was like, yeah, like phones. Remember, you you couldn't would just walk around in the house with them. They were connected to the walls and there was a cord. And he was like, no, I'm not that old. And I was like, oh ah oh no.
00:23:43
Speaker
Well, you know what? That's a memory that we have that they don't. Because I remember having to take the phone from the kitchen. Walk around the corner. Everybody to hear it, I would stretch that bitch into the dining room Into the bathroom, sit in the tub holding it Yeah. Yeah.
00:23:58
Speaker
No, that's a toaster. Oh, yeah. so it I love it when you snort on the microphone. This is premium content, people.
00:24:10
Speaker
This is premium content. Snorting and singing. Those are my, those are my you know, Sam's off it. One of these days, we're going to get back to the regular thing where we tell you two stories in one show like we normally would.
00:24:24
Speaker
But for now, we're kind of winging it. We're trying to get you guys content. That ain't today. Not today. Are you ready for the story? I am. Are we ready? Do we say all the things? ah True crime, comedy, history. Watch us, review us, like us. come on. Give us the stars, people. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Barefoot Bandit: Colton Harris Moore
00:24:38
Speaker
Stars. Minnie finally raided us because she said she was afraid of physical violence from you. And I said you should be. From me? Yeah.
00:24:43
Speaker
You're the violent one. Shh. Oh, OK. We don't tell people that. i You're the big, imposing person. I'm the one that comes in like a. I'm shimmying. Big and imposing. Okay, let's do this. And then we take a break. Let's do it. Let's do it.
00:24:59
Speaker
So today I'm going to tell you the story of Colton Harris Moore. He loved to commit crimes and cleverly evade the police. He became a media sensation, gained wild online following. Some think of him as a modern-day folk hero. Others denounced his crimes and called him a cockroach because of all the money, among other things, that he took from people.
00:25:24
Speaker
He carried out his shenanigans over the course of three years. And he did all of this while he was just a teenage boy. There you go. This is the story of the Barefoot Bandit.
00:25:37
Speaker
Do you have any idea of what I'm talking about? Barefoot Bandit, yes. I didn't know that his debt i the name didn't ring. Okay. So the sources I used, historylink.org.
00:25:49
Speaker
I put a Y after the G. I didn't mean to do that. True Crime. So it says what? Orgy. That's costly. Historylink.org, True Crime, A Barefoot Bandit by Brad Holden, and a BBC article about labeled Who is Barefoot Bandit from July of 2010 by Finlow Rohrer.
00:26:11
Speaker
Say that one more time. I can't. Say it again. Colton. was born March 22, 1991 in Washington State to parents Pam and Gordon. His father struggled with drug and alcohol abuse and abandoned the family when Colton was just a toddler.
00:26:25
Speaker
This left Pam with sole custody, and so she raised her son on Kamano Island, which is right at in the heart of the Puget Sound. It's one of my favorite places. Also, do know what bothers me when people call it the Puget Sound? the Puget Sound or when they call Willamette Valley is where Portland Oregon is but people always Willamette will la at Willamette Valley dumbasses um this is one of my favorite parts of the country and if you've ever seen the movie Practical Magic that was filmed on Whidbey Island in a little town called Coopville which I love Whidbey Which, by the way, there's a book. It's coming out.
00:27:02
Speaker
And my friend Elise, when we were on Whidbey Island, she made me run down the street and Coopville singing It's the Way You Love Me by... It's the way Faith Hill. Yes, had to do that because that's what we do when we're together.
00:27:16
Speaker
His mom struggled financially and she was also she also struggled with alcoholism. So this resulted in an unstable environment for young Colton. So, of course, he started having behavioral health issues at a very early age.
00:27:30
Speaker
By the age of seven, Colton was running away from home. He would spend days in evergreen forest of Kameno Island. So far, not one time have I spelled Kameno correctly. To survive, he started breaking into vacation homes where he would steal food and camping supplies.
00:27:47
Speaker
His first conviction came at the age of 12, and that was for stolen property. And within that year, he started serving time in a juvenile defin detention facility due to another conviction. Wow.
00:28:01
Speaker
Colton attended Stanwood Middle School, but he was eventually transferred to Lincoln Hill Alternative School because of disciplinary issues. That's a delicate way of saying that's a school for the fuck.
00:28:12
Speaker
Never mind. alternative Alternative. By ninth grade, Colton slowly just stopped going to school. CPS, or Child Protective Services, visited the house several times due to to suspected abuse or neglect.
00:28:26
Speaker
Because of this, Colton was placed in foster care. July 4, 2006, a warrant for his arrest was issued because he failed to attend a mandatory court date.
00:28:37
Speaker
No, he's 15. Colton learned that he was wanted by the police, so he fled. That's always the best thing to do. We got Colton. Colton set up hidden campsites deep in the forest of Kamano Island. Spilled it right for the first time.
00:28:53
Speaker
He continued to break into people's homes for food and supplies. Some of the homes that he would break into had computers. So with those computers, he started accessing them to teach himself how to steal different people's identities. Oh. He would order credit cards in the homeowner's name, in which he would use to purchase food and survival gear, like night vision goggles.
00:29:16
Speaker
All of this would help him stay two steps ahead of the police. Colton was captured and arrested on February 9, 2007. He had been on the run for about six months, and he racked up about 23 criminal charges, mostly for burglary.
00:29:33
Speaker
Colton made a deal with prosecutors and pled guilty to three of those crimes. This earned him a three-year sentence at Green Hill School. This was a high-security juvenile detention facility. Alternative schooling. While there, Colton was a model student.
00:29:50
Speaker
So in February of 2008, he was transferred to Griffin Home Residential Center in Renton, Washington. This was a minimum security place.
00:30:01
Speaker
Speculation is that this good behavior was simply a ruse. He was playing the long game. Two months later, Colton slipped through an unlocked window at Griffin House.
00:30:12
Speaker
A felony warrant was soon issued. Colton then stole a car and headed back to Kameno Island where he resumed breaking into homes, stealing food and supplies and using their computers to order things and to watch a little porn while he was there. Well, might as well.
00:30:30
Speaker
The authorities mounted a vigorous campaign to catch Colton. And this is when the news picked up the story and it was about the mysterious teenage outlaw. So he started taking off right about this time. Yeah, i mean I mean, it is a... It's On July 18, 2008, cops started chasing a Mercedes that had been seen driving erratically.
00:30:51
Speaker
Once the cop cars closed in, the driver slammed on the brakes and he ran into the woods and vanished. When the police searched the Mercedes, they found a car full of stolen credit cards, cell phones, and a digital camera that Colton had used to take selfies with.
00:31:08
Speaker
The most famous pic Colton took is one of those pictures. It's of him on his back in the middle of the forest looking straight up at the camera. And he looks just like 16-year-old little boy. yeah At the peak, this all of this piqued even more interest by the media.
00:31:28
Speaker
The iconic image of Colton was now spreading online, including Facebook. By now, Colton had a growing fan base that began following him. This is when he earned the nickname, the Barefoot Bandit.
00:31:42
Speaker
He started leaving his footprints behind. The Barefoot Bandit was now gaining legions of fans. Due to the increased legal heat, Colton decided that he needed to escape Kameno Island. I mean, that's probably a good bet. So he stole a boat and cruised over to Orcas Island.
00:32:01
Speaker
In August of 2008, the San Juan County Sheriff started receiving an increasing number of burglary reports. On August 2, 2008, the Orcas Island Chamber of Commerce held a special meeting to address the sudden rise in sophisticated break-ins.
00:32:16
Speaker
People, of course, suspected that it was Colton. The Barefoot Bandit. In November 2008, Colton was now wanted on Orcas Island, so he decided to escape again.
00:32:27
Speaker
So he stole a plane. Wow! A Cessna 182, a single-engine plane from a hangar. Despite zero aviation experience, he flew 300 miles east and crash-landed the Yakima Indian end Reservation. Wow.
00:32:43
Speaker
and escaped before police could arrive. He learned how to fly the plane, reading countless aircraft manuals that he ordered with other people's cards. So when he broke into the people's homes, he would order the manual. He would track the delivery and break back in to take the manual when it was delivered.
00:33:00
Speaker
I mean, that's dedication. He also watched and instructional DVDs, and he played it on the Microsoft Flight Simulator, one of his favorite games.
00:33:12
Speaker
When police searched the plane that he crashed, they found footprints. That was all they found. The plane belonged to Bob Rivers, a popular radio host on KZOK FM. Bob learned about this plane being stolen when he signed onto the radio that morning. A year later, when Colton was still on the run, Bob said, quote, I don't buy any of this folk hero stuff.
00:33:37
Speaker
I was fur furious that something like that could happen. I really want him caught. Following the plane heist, Colton stole car after car, traveling to Reno, Sacramento, eastern Washington state.
00:33:50
Speaker
While on the lam, Colton racked up 10 more charges filed by Island County prosecutors, including identity theft and truly illegal flight to avoid prosecution.
00:34:03
Speaker
Colton then returned to Kamano Island in May of 2009. On June 19, 2009, he broke into a patrol car that was parked in front of a deputy's house and stole police equipment, including a cell phone and an official rifle oh and the ammunition.
00:34:19
Speaker
The Sheriff's Department ramped up efforts to capture Colton, but Colton, who was now 18, was calculating, he was careful, and he was meticulous. So much so that he managed to stay two steps ahead of authorities.
00:34:33
Speaker
In the summer of 2009 and into the fall, Colton continued his pattern of island hopping. On September 11, 2009, stole his second plane,
00:34:43
Speaker
them This is one of those stories. The Cirrus SR-22 from San Juan Public, ah the public airport in San Juan Islands. He flew it to orca's island Orca's Island, landing it on the island's public runway.
00:34:58
Speaker
He jumped out of the plane, and then he stole a boat and sailed it to Point Roberts. A trail of robberies stretched across British Columbia, eventually ending in Bonners Ferry in northern Idaho. It's like Catch Me If You Can.
00:35:12
Speaker
Absolutely. That was the name of this one of the things that I read. On September 29th, 2009, he decided it was time for him to go back to Kameno Island. but So he broke into the Bonners Ferry airplane hangar, stole his third plane, a Cessna 182, and headed back up into the sky.
00:35:31
Speaker
He was headed for Kameno Island, but he ran out of gas, so he crashed near Granite Falls. When the police investigated the plane, all they found was footprints.
00:35:44
Speaker
when a report um When reporters asked Colton's mom about the plane theft and Colton's involvement, she said, quote, I'm so proud of him. i was gonna go send him to flight school, but I guess I don't have to do that now.
00:35:55
Speaker
On October 2, 2009, a new felony warrant for a forced entry burglary was issued for Colton's arrest. Two months later, a federal arrest warrant resulting from the theft of Bonner's ferry plane was issued.
00:36:10
Speaker
By this time, Colton had become the only suspect for about 100 thefts through Washington, Idaho, and Canada, most of which involved planes, cars, and speedboats.
00:36:23
Speaker
Who doesn't care? Colton. He does not give a shit. So he steals another plane. A Cirrus SR-22 from Anacortes Airport on February 10, 2010, when he promptly landed on Orcas Island. The next day, he broke into homegrown grocery and stole $1,000 in cash. This is a local grocery store.
00:36:45
Speaker
Wanting to show that it was definitely him, he used chalk to draw these cartoonish footprints that went up and down the aisles, and the footprints ended with the letters C-YA. See ya.
00:36:58
Speaker
And now the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security are involved in the hunt for Colton. Agents were deployed to Orca's Island. Coast Guard patrolled the shores. A Black Hawk helicopter was flown in to help the search.
00:37:12
Speaker
Colton doesn't care. He escaped to the neighboring San Juan Island where he stole the boat and cruised back over to Camano Island. The FBI then placed a $10,000 reward for the arrest of Colton.
00:37:25
Speaker
i mean
00:37:28
Speaker
It just seems like they're quite inept. you know He just makes him look very inept, right? They got the Black Hawk and the kid is still schooling him. He's a kid!
00:37:41
Speaker
On May 31, 2010, Colton broke into a veterinary clinic in Raymond, Washington. On the counter in the clinic, Colton left $100 and a handwritten note that said, drove by, had some extra cash, please use this money to take care of the animals. ah Signed, Colton Harris Moore.
00:38:03
Speaker
He's not all bad, right? Yeah. I mean, he's a kid. He's a kid. He's a kid. it's it's I mean, his crimes are not victimless, but they're nonviolent. And he's helping the animals.
00:38:14
Speaker
Yeah. In June 2010, there was a heavy police presence in Washington State looking for Colton, so naturally he fled the state. He made his way across the country using in stolen cars. He made it as far east as Illinois. Okay.
00:38:27
Speaker
On July 4th, 2010, Cessna was reported stolen from an airport in Bloomington, Indiana. Colton did it. Colton intended to fly to Cuba because there was no extradition treaties with the U.S. s However, Colton ended up crash landing the little Cessna in the Bahamas near Great Abaco Island. This man, listen, with all of his research and learning how to fly planes, maybe he should have spent a little bit more time on landings.
00:38:53
Speaker
Absolutely. Absolutely. So he landed near um Great Abaco Island. After a hard landing, he went to a nearby fishing village where he survived for a couple of days by stealing from nearby stores and restaurants.
00:39:07
Speaker
But all good things must come to an end. So on July 11, 2010, at the ripe old age of 19, Colton was captured just before dawn in the Bahamas. Thanks to tips from local residents, the police closed in on the barefoot bandit after Colton ran stolen boat onto a sandbar and became stuck in just a short distance shore. He's really not good at this whole, like, the vehicles and the things that he's stealing. The dudes ended up in the Bahamas, though. He was headed for Cuba.
00:39:38
Speaker
So um he then put a gun to his head, no but the cops talked him out of it. He then surrendered to authorities. July 13, Colton was extradited from Nassau, Bahamas to Miami, where he was held until July 21st when he was transferred to the Federal Detention Center at SeaTac.
00:39:58
Speaker
He was held there for the next two years while he faced many charges at the county, state, and federal level. Wait, a federal holding facility facility at SeaTac for two years? SeaTac being the airport at Seattle to go, yikes, that can't have been lovely. Colton was sentenced to seven years of state prison time and an additional six years by Island County Court.
00:40:20
Speaker
He then went to federal court on January 27, 2012, where a district court judge advised Colton that it was time for, quote, a new life flight plan. Yeah.
00:40:31
Speaker
the judge sentenced him to six years in prison. Colton expressed his remorse. His county, state, and federal time were all considered consolidated to six years when he was transferred to Stafford Creek Corrections Center in Aberdeen, Washington to begin serving that six-year sentence.
00:40:50
Speaker
After Colton went to prison, he sold his life story to 20th Century Fox for $1.4 million, dollars all of which went toward restitution per the terms of his sentence.
00:41:03
Speaker
On May of 2016, Colton's mom passed away. September 2, 2016, at the age of 25, Colton was released from prison on probation. He lived in a halfway house near Seattle. He took a clerical job with the attorney who represented him in court. oh Jeremiah O'Hagan from the Stanwood Camino News said about Colton, people's general attitude falls into two broad categories. One is disgusted about a waste of everybody's energy, and the category...
00:41:33
Speaker
and the category would be the view of few people. Some view him as a counter-culture folk hero. andva Investigator Mike Rocha dedicated himself to finding Colton, called his called Colton, quote, a felon who caused havoc, but recognized why some people were drawn to him saying paraphrasing, saying that he was 19-year-old kid trying to to survive, doing what he could, and he evaded capture for a while. People love an underdog story.
00:42:02
Speaker
co Colton doesn't appear any in public anymore. He lives a quiet life in Seattle, as best I could tell. But in his last appearance in May of 2019, he was interviewed for KTTH in Seattle.
00:42:13
Speaker
During the interview, Colton reflected on his life, recalling how lifelong interest in airplanes had resulted in his first memorable flight back in 2008 when he stole Colton said, quote, it's the uncontrollable obsession. That's really what it is. It's something that you haven't dreamt about or that you have dreamt about and waited on your entire life. And all of the sudden, the possibilities of that moment, no matter what scenario or situation you could find yourself in that one moment, you were exactly where you were supposed to be.
00:42:46
Speaker
And I wonder if I'll ever feel that way again. It's one of those moments that I think you only get once or twice in your life.
Folk Hero or Criminal?
00:42:54
Speaker
And that is the story of the Barefoot Bandit.
00:42:58
Speaker
So I'm torn um because as...
00:43:06
Speaker
Maybe it's just because of the story that I just did, right? um It got me thinking.
00:43:14
Speaker
We, when serial killers have fan clubs... were like disgusted by him, right? Like, oh, how could you support that? Like, ew, it's so gross. It's like, duh, right?
00:43:24
Speaker
But for people to be like big fans of Colton and like that kind of thing, right? Again, his crimes were not violent, but they were not victimless. So for him to have a fan base, for us to be like, yay, look at that little guy go.
00:43:40
Speaker
That kind of puts us in like a shitty category, right? And then the way that he was just talking about that uncontrollable urge, like, yes, his was directed at airplanes and flying, but like serial killers speak the same way about their... yeah but everybody speaks the same way.
00:44:02
Speaker
Everybody says that, like, you have this uncontrollable urge to do something, right? Yeah, but it's the say it's the same thing, though, right? It's like you have, like... I don't think like your average everyday person, like do you go around saying, like oh, I have this uncontrollable urge to fulfill this one thing and like i see I don't think all of a fear that way again. So like yeah serial killers, they have that uncontrollable urge until one day they're like,
Episode Wrap-Up and Sign-Off
00:44:28
Speaker
we're just going to do it. They do it and then they're like, I'm chasing that high. yeah you know
00:44:32
Speaker
So it's like it's kind of weird to think about. And also this was happening 2008 and 9 and was a depression. when there was a depression oh yeah There was a financial crisis. And so a lot of people were fucked by the financial crisis. So that added more like a bigger fan base to this story for him. Yeah, because he really was the underdog. Yeah.
00:44:55
Speaker
Yeah. Interesting. Good job. ah Fun story. That's all I had. Good stuff. Sometimes it's the longer, crazier mean, can't help but like...
00:45:06
Speaker
Root for the Whatever it means, whatever it says about me, like, I can't help it. I get it. Like, there were a lot of resources expended, but, like, he's a kid, you know? They had a Black Hawk looking for him. The Coast Guard was patrolling. the Coast Guard on the shores looking for him. And he still got He stole a boat i and escaped island. want him to learn how to land planes. Yeah. Okay? That's what I want. He crashed three of the four of them.
00:45:32
Speaker
Didn't he crash four of them? i think you crashed all four of There was one that he didn't crash. Oh. But there was a lot that he did crash. was a lot that he Yes. Yes, needs to work on his, he needs to work on sticking the landing. Work on the landing. Yeah.
00:45:45
Speaker
Good job. That was a short one. That was good. I'm done. Yeah. I'm tired. Should we end it? We should. Let's end this bitch. What else?
00:45:58
Speaker
so you Oh, there's something. There's a thought. No, I got nothing. Okay, we're here for a good time. Not a long time. Bye.