by Leslie Kelly
Special to the Sounder
More than five years after his crime spree, Colton Harris-Moore (aka the “Barefoot Bandit”) is coming close to paying off $1.3 million in restitution to his victims.
According to the U.S. Marshal’s office in Seattle, 20th Century Fox gave the office a check for $900,000 late last week. It was the studio’s largest payment on Harris-Moore’s debt, which they are making in exchange for rights to his life story.
They plan a major motion picture that is set to be released within the next two years.
Richard Cohen, an attorney in the forfeiture division of the U.S. Attorney’s office in Seattle, confirmed that the money had been received by the U.S. Marshal’s office. He said his office will initiate a request for the funds to be applied to the court-approved restitution order in the case. He wasn’t certain how long it would take for funds to get in the hands of victims. The recent check followed $216,000 in other payments which Fox had previously made. That leaves about $220,000 that Harris-Moore owes, which the studio has said it will pay.
Raised on Camano Island, Harris-Moore launched an epic burglary spree after escaping from a Renton group home on April 22, 2008. Known as the Barefoot Bandit, because he left foot prints at many of his crime scenes, Harris-Moore was captured after a shoot out as he was attempting to steal a boat in the Bahamas in May 2010. His unlawful acts included breaking into homes and businesses on Camano and Whidbey islands, in Skagit County, on Orcas Island and in other states. He taught himself to fly and stole at least two planes, one in Anacortes which he landed on Orcas Island. Among the places he broke into on Orcas were the Homegrown Market and the ACE Hardware.
The manager of ACE Hardware said he had received a payment earlier, but nothing lately. “We received an installment about six or eight months ago,” said Scott Lancaster. “But nothing recently.”
The manager wouldn’t say how much was owed to the business, or how much he had been paid. But he said the bill wasn’t even 50 percent paid.
Harris-Moore also broke into the Homegrown Market and Gourmet Deli. He ate a meal, vandalized the security system and drew bare human feet on the floor using chalk. The “footprints” led out the door, along with this message: “Cya.”
That burglary cost $6,500 in theft and damage, a financial blow that put 20 employees at risk of losing their jobs, the store’s owner, Kyle Ater, said at the time. Since then, the market has closed. Ater did not respond to requests for comment this week.
Harris-Moore was suspected in more than 100 crimes, including assaults on law officers. His attorneys, Emma Scanlon and John Henry Browne, won a plea deal resolving all the allegations against Harris-Moore. He was sentenced to six and a half years on Jan. 27, 2012. He has been incarcerated since then.
According to Browne, Harris-Moore remains at Stafford Creek Corrections Center in Aberdeen, Washington. “He’s using his time very wisely,” Browne said. “He’s growing up. He’s studying and working eight to 10 hours a day. He’s completed two degrees and he’s being tutored by a high ranking Boeing engineer.”
Browne said he visited his client last week. Because of Harris-Moore’s good attitude and behavior, he most likely will be released to a halfway house in March. He is expected to be able to live on his own by the summer of 2016.
“He is an exemplary inmate,” Browne said. “He has a great attitude and he wants to contribute to society.”
As for his victims, Browne said Harris-Moore has always had remorse.
“He’s said that in court and he continues to say that,” Browne said. “He wants to repay all of those he hurt. He’s said often that he wants the Mom and Pop businesses to be paid first, before insurance companies are reimbursed.”
Harris-Moore has no interest in being a part of the movie about his crimes, Browne said.
“He’d rather it not be done at all,” Browne said. “He remains a very shy person. He allowed it — he did so as a way to pay his debt. He refuses to take a dime from it.”
And, Browne said, by court directions, funds from the movie can’t pay his bill either.
“I’m not getting paid from the movie,” he said. “All I’ve ever gotten is $1 from Colton’s mother when she hired me.”
Browne did say that the film is being directed by an academy award-winning director and the screen play is being written by another academy award-winner, but he wouldn’t identify them by name.
“I’ve heard (the film) will begin with his capture in the Bahamas,” Browne said. “The screen play can only be 125 pages long, I’m told. I just wonder how they’ll tell Colton’s story in just 125 pages.”
Meanwhile Cohen pointed out that restitution is only for monetary losses. He said there was at least one victim who came home to find Harris-Moore in his home and confronted him.
“We should remember that there is a psychological impact in some cases and restitution doesn’t pay for that,” he said.
