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lil_tuffy

lil_tuffy

MODERATOR

San Francisco, CA

JAN 17, 2010 10:20 AM

zoom image

Meet Colton Harris-Moore. He's just your regular teenager. He likes Mercedes and airplanes. So much that he's stolen several of each and consequently totaled them and walked away. Colton is also known as "The Barefoot Bandit" -- a nickname alluding to his penchant for stealing stuff sans shoes.



What began as a bored teenager committing petty crimes has blossomed into a modern-day version of an old west outlaw. Much to the befuddlement of local authorities, Colton has been on he run for the last 20 months. His mother brags about how intelligent he is and his Facebook Fan Club boasts 16,000+ fans (including many young ladies begging to be his girlfriend). You can also find tshirts emblazoned with his face and a documentary (as well as a couple of books and possible movie deals) are in the works.

Fly, Colton, Fly!

full story at NPR.com


atomicant

atomicant

Portland, OR
June 2003

JAN 17, 2010 10:24 AM

damn the man.

papawheelie

papawheelie

Fisty, KY
February 2003

JAN 17, 2010 10:26 AM

I remember about a year or so ago I read that he wrecked an airplane and _still_ got away, pretty awesome story


Thistle

Thistle

SUICIDEGIRL

California, USA

JAN 17, 2010 11:27 AM

I love stuff like this. I'm sure that makes me a hypocrite. I don't care.

AlienSheep

AlienSheep

La Quinta, CA
August 2008

JAN 17, 2010 11:32 AM

Robin Hood? Oh wait.. he's not stealing from the man.. just rich folk.. eh..

Cash

Cash

USA
OLD SKOOL

JAN 17, 2010 11:37 AM

Yeah...totally awesome, right? Unless, of course you owned any of the stuff that asshole stole, or have your insurance premiuims go up when the companies try to recoup their losses. But yeah, other than that...totally awesome.

AlienSheep

AlienSheep

La Quinta, CA
August 2008

JAN 17, 2010 11:41 AM

Yeah, I hate theives!! I was robbed twice and my sister once last year.. fuckers.

Coyotemike

Coyotemike

USA
May 2006

JAN 17, 2010 12:31 PM

I heard this, too. Made me think of that crappy movie "Catch me if you can".


ReAct

ReAct

Boston, MA
October 2009

JAN 17, 2010 12:47 PM

Coyotemike said:
I heard this, too. Made me think of that crappy movie "Catch me if you can".

10 to 1 Hollywood has rights on this thing within a year after the kid is captured.

The really sad part about this is that as romantic as it seems now, the best ending that kid can hope for is sitting in a jail cell somewhere.

-ReAct
"Knock knock." "Who's there?" "Go fuck yourselves."

NathanialBlood

NathanialBlood

United Kingdom
August 2006

JAN 17, 2010 12:50 PM

Coyotemike said:
I heard this, too. Made me think of that crappy movie "Catch me if you can".




eeek That film was great. I love the fact it was based however loosely on real crimes Frank Abagnale committed.

Pip

Pip

Framingham, MA
OLD SKOOL

JAN 17, 2010 01:05 PM

ReAct said:

Coyotemike said:
I heard this, too. Made me think of that crappy movie "Catch me if you can".

10 to 1 Hollywood has rights on this thing within a year after the kid is captured.

The really sad part about this is that as romantic as it seems now, the best ending that kid can hope for is sitting in a jail cell somewhere.

-ReAct
"Knock knock." "Who's there?" "Go fuck yourselves."




The kid is too famous now. The odds of him being able to stop, walk away from crime, and just hide on an island somewhere are not good.

DB cooper struck once...I think this kid is addicted to his lifestyle.

hor

hor

USA
June 2005

JAN 17, 2010 06:58 PM


TIME.com

Before slipping away from a police raid on his mother's trailer, Harris-Moore left a note: "Cops wanna play huh!? Well its no lil game.....It's war! & tell them that." Authorities say he then broke into a deputy's car and stole, among other things, an assault rifle. He is now considered armed and dangerous.


Totally awesome.

ckdexterhaven

ckdexterhaven

USA
December 2005

JAN 17, 2010 07:34 PM

hor said:

"Cops wanna play huh!? Well its no lil game.....It's war!."



Who is he, Bugs Bunny?

spinhouse247

spinhouse247

Punta Gorda, FL
December 2003

JAN 17, 2010 07:40 PM

Fuck with my cars or boats and get shot. Bottom Line.

lil_tuffy

lil_tuffy

MODERATOR

San Francisco, CA

JAN 17, 2010 07:47 PM

That Time article does a better job of exposing the dichotomy of the matter.

He had a rough past. Harris-Moore's abusive father walked out after choking him during an argument at a family barbecue. His mother raised him in a mobile home dragged into the woods on the island's South End, which, as local writer and stained-glass artist Jack Archibald says, has "basically one main road, a two-lane blacktop that loops around like a belt on a skinny fella."

Some locals speculate that Harris-Moore burgles not for the money but to experience the fantasy of the happy home life he never had as a child. According to local sheriffs, he often slips into a house just to soak in a hot bath or steal mint-chip ice cream from the fridge — a "Goldilocks thing," one investigator says. Initially, Harris-Moore seemed to steal only what he needed for life in the woods. "He's a survivalist," says Archibald. The teenager allegedly used one homeowner's computer and credit-card information to order bear mace and a pair of $6,500 night-vision goggles.



"He's not evil, but he's not Robin Hood either," says artist Jack Gunter, an island resident. "Unless he's stopped, chances are he'll end up a career criminal — or dead."



I understand the outrage at the damage he's done to people's property and bank accounts but there is an underlying desperate sadness that makes this story very easy to romanticize and transform him into a symbol of the American dream gone horribly wrong -- not that it excuses his exploits.

It's hard to not compare this story to "Catch Me if You Can" and "Legend of Billie Jean." I guess all we can hope for is another happy ending.

Stiles

Stiles

Oakland, CA
November 2002

JAN 17, 2010 08:02 PM

From the linked Time article:

But Harris-Moore apparently steals just as often from Camano's ordinary folk as he does from the rich.
...

Colton Harris-Moore ... has been on police blotters since he was accused of stealing a bike at the age of 8. Since then, he is suspected of having committed nearly 100 burglaries in Washington, Idaho and Canada. Police allege that he graduated from bikes to cars, then to speedboats. Lately, he is suspected of stealing three small aircraft...

On Fox News, Harris-Moore's mother Pam Kohler outraged her tut-tutting interviewer by saying, "I hope to hell he stole those planes. I'd be so proud..."
...

Harris-Moore left a note: "Cops wanna play huh!? Well its no lil game.....It's war! & tell them that." Authorities say he then broke into a deputy's car and stole, among other things, an assault rifle. He is now considered armed and dangerous.




Let's see, a 6' 5" convicted career criminal by the age of 18 who has escalated to stealing assault rifles after breaking and entering at least 50 people's homes.

I doubt if any of the fans of his ever lost their sole transportation to a thief, or had their hard-earned property stolen from them when someone broke into and ransacked their home.

Way to cheer for a scumbag.

Sooner or later he'll most likely be seeing the wrong end of a gun barrel, and if he's lucky he won't get shot.

AlienSheep

AlienSheep

La Quinta, CA
August 2008

JAN 17, 2010 08:03 PM

ReAct said:

The really sad part about this is that as romantic as it seems now, the best ending that kid can hope for is sitting in a jail cell somewhere.



I don't know.. Frank Abagnale Jr. now makes big bucks...


He is currently a consultant and lecturer at the academy and field offices for the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He also runs Abagnale & Associates, a financial fraud consultancy company


Cash

Cash

USA
OLD SKOOL

JAN 18, 2010 05:12 AM

Stiles said:
I doubt if any of the fans of his ever lost their sole transportation to a thief, or had their hard-earned property stolen from them when someone broke into and ransacked their home.

Way to cheer for a scumbag.



Fuckin' EXACTLY!

Having your home or place of business broken into can be an incredibly traumatic experience...even if little or nothing is taken. It's a HUGE sense of violation & vulnerability than can have lasting effects.

Second....having things of significant value stolen from you is infuriating. I have had a few things, of a significant value stolen from my house as well as from my car. I worked for the money to pay for those items. I carefully saved so I could have those things....and some shit-sucking scumbag decided that they just wanted them instead.

As far as this kid being a sympathetic figure.....fuckin'....WAhhhhhhhh! The line for kids with abusive parents & shitty childhoods forms to the left. It's no fucking excuse, nor is it a mitigating factor. I had an abusive father and a shitty childhood...and never once broke into a house or stole an assault rifle.

He's not stealing to survive. He's not shoplifting loaves of bread to feed starving babies. He's not chopping cars to pay for his grandmother's dialysis. He's a career criminal stealing for personal gain, notoriety...and kicks.

Aside from the likely millions of people who grew up in abusive environments who DON'T steal shit.....notable people like Oprah Winfrey, Tyler Perry, Gavin DeBecker & Drew Carey are just a few examples of people from well-documented cases of abusive home lives going on to be productive members of society.

motorfirebox

motorfirebox

Pittsburgh, PA
March 2004

JAN 18, 2010 06:21 AM

i can appreciate the flair and romance of this kid's lifestyle, but like the others in this thread who feel that appreciation, i'm a complete lamebrain who is incapable of recognizing the genuine harm that results from this kid's activities.

oh wait nobody's brains is lames, and therefore i (and probably others as well!) can simultaneously throw a fist up for this kid and empathize with those from whom he stole. i've been robbed. it sucked. this kid is still pretty cool.

Cash

Cash

USA
OLD SKOOL

JAN 18, 2010 06:26 AM

motorfirebox said:
i can appreciate the flair and romance of this kid's lifestyle, but like the others in this thread who feel that appreciation, i'm a complete lamebrain who is incapable of recognizing the genuine harm that results from this kid's activities.

oh wait nobody's brains is lames, and therefore i (and probably others as well!) can simultaneously throw a fist up for this kid and empathize with those from whom he stole. i've been robbed. it sucked. this kid is still pretty cool.



Please...tell me what makes this kid so "cool"?

Lemonkid

Lemonkid

Canada
May 2003

JAN 18, 2010 06:42 AM

Criminals have been lionized throughout the ages, this isn't a new phenomenon.

Cash

Cash

USA
OLD SKOOL

JAN 18, 2010 06:47 AM

Lemonkid said:
Criminals have been lionized throughout the ages, this isn't a new phenomenon.



I'm aware of that, thanks....but it doesn't answer the question.

Accuser

Accuser

Scottsdale, AZ
October 2006

JAN 18, 2010 06:47 AM

Cash said:

motorfirebox said:
i can appreciate the flair and romance of this kid's lifestyle, but like the others in this thread who feel that appreciation, i'm a complete lamebrain who is incapable of recognizing the genuine harm that results from this kid's activities.

oh wait nobody's brains is lames, and therefore i (and probably others as well!) can simultaneously throw a fist up for this kid and empathize with those from whom he stole. i've been robbed. it sucked. this kid is still pretty cool.



Please...tell me what makes this kid so "cool"?



Same thing that made John Dillinger cool.

ChrisSick

ChrisSick

Philadelphia, PA
March 2008

JAN 18, 2010 06:50 AM

Lemonkid said:
Criminals have been lionized throughout the ages, this isn't a new phenomenon.



And the vast majority of Western fiction is obsessed with the notion of one man standing up against vast institutions & organizations & succeeding against all odds. Seeing it happen in real life is both unusual & slightly thrilling to watch.

Cash

Cash

USA
OLD SKOOL

JAN 18, 2010 07:02 AM

Accuser said:

Cash said:

motorfirebox said:
i can appreciate the flair and romance of this kid's lifestyle, but like the others in this thread who feel that appreciation, i'm a complete lamebrain who is incapable of recognizing the genuine harm that results from this kid's activities.

oh wait nobody's brains is lames, and therefore i (and probably others as well!) can simultaneously throw a fist up for this kid and empathize with those from whom he stole. i've been robbed. it sucked. this kid is still pretty cool.



Please...tell me what makes this kid so "cool"?



Same thing that made John Dillinger cool.



Is anyone going to make an actual argument...or give a tangible explaination?

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