Colton Harris-Moore (19 years old) was arrested before dawn on northern Eleuthera island, at Romora Bay Resort and Marina, according to a Bahamian police official. He said the suspect would soon be flown to Nassau, the capital, where the Royal Bahamas Police Force would be holding a news conference. Island police have been searching for him since he allegedly crash-landed a stolen plane a week ago on nearby Great Abaco Island.
Harris-Moore, who has been running from American law enforcement since escaping from a Washington state halfway house in 2008, gained fame and thousands of fans who admired his ability to evade arrest. He is suspected of stealing cars, boats and at least five planes — including the aircraft he allegedly stole in Indiana and flew to the islands off Florida's coast, despite a lack of formal flight training.
The 19-year-old is a skilled outdoorsman who honed his abilities growing up in the woods of Camano Island in Puget Sound about 30 miles (50 kilometres) north of Seattle. He survived a very troubled childhood and was first convicted of theft when he was twelve. By thirteen he had three more convictions. He was sentenced to nearly four years in juvenile detention after being caught in an unoccupied home in 2007, but he did well enough there that he was transferred to a group home, where he sneaked out of a window more than two years ago.
Island police picked up his trail in Eleuthera after recovering a 44-foot (13-meter) power boat stolen from a marina on Abaco, 40 miles (65 kilometres) to the north, where he was suspected in a string of burglaries.
Burglary victims in Eleuthera told the press on Saturday they had little doubt the lanky, 6-foot, 5-inch fugitive was on the island.
Ferry boat captain Freddie Grant said he was returning from Harbour Island in northern Eleuthera on Wednesday evening when he saw a tall, white teenager bathing or swimming in an inlet near the ferry landing. Ferry service employee Stan Pennerman also said he saw Harris-Moore lurking in the woods the same day.
Neither man thought much of it until they noticed the next morning that somebody had damaged the ignition system on three of their boats.
A bar at the ferry landing was also burglarized Wednesday night by a thief who cut a screen to break in, dismantled a security light, and moved the television's remote controls, said Denaldo Bain, the 30-year-old manager of Coakley's International Sporting Lounge.
"He was watching television. He was just chilling," said Bain, who also said he saw the teenager in the inlet.
He was dubbed the "Barefoot Bandit" for allegedly going shoeless during some crimes and once allegedly leaving behind chalk footprints as a calling card. He has become a folk hero to supporters, who have bought "Run, Colton, Run" T-shirts and written songs about his exploits. He has tens of thousands of followers on Facebook.
During the boat chase, witnesses said, the boat ran aground in shallow water and police quickly shot up the engine.Harris-Moore threw his laptop and mobile phone into the water and briefly held a gun to his own head, said Anne Ward, manager of the resort.
"He was saying he was going to kill himself," she said. "But they talked him out of it, subdued him, and brought him back to our marina."
He is due in court on Tuesday to face charges for offences on two Bahamian islands since his plane crashed in the territory. Police said he was expected to be turned over to US authorities under an extradition treaty. Legal experts estimate he could face seven to 15 years in prison if convicted.
Romanticized by some as a latter-day "Billy the Kid," His legend took on a new dimension in 2009 when a private plane crashed in the Cascade Mountains, east of Seattle. It had been stolen in Idaho, close to where a rash of burglaries had occurred.
In a digital camera recovered from his stolen booty, police found a self-assured smirking self-portrait. The photograph soon became the public face of the teenaged robber, now an Internet idol.A fan page set up on the social networking site Facebook has over 68,600 members.
His mother, Pam Koehler, has hailed her son as a genius, even if of the criminal sort. "He's smart. He took an IQ test a few years ago and he's three points below Einstein," she said last year.
What a waste of a genius. A little guidance before he was twelve might have turned his life in a wonderful direction. Now he has to languish in prison for most of his remaining youth.
