March 18, 2010 in Region

Search intensifies for teen suspect in N. Idaho plane theft

Investigators combing Orcas Island

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Associated Press photos photo

Colton Harris-Moore took this self-portrait, found on a stolen digital camera and provided Tuesday by the Island County Sheriff’s Office, in July 2009. Harris-Moore, 18, is suspected in about 50 burglary cases since he slipped away from a halfway house in April 2008. Associated Press photos
(Full-size photo)

EASTSOUND, Wash. — FBI agents, dog teams and helicopters have joined the search on Orcas Island for elusive teen burglar Colton Harris-Moore.

Search teams have been scouring the west side of Orcas since early Thursday morning. San Juan County Sheriff Bill Cumming says Harris is believed to be in a isolated and rugged area where only a few homes are located.

Recent burglaries have led officials to believe Harris-Moore, who turns 19 next week, may be hiding there.

Authorities have been searching for him since April 2008 when he escaped a halfway house in Renton where he was serving a 3-year sentence for burglaries on Camano Island. Since then he has been suspected of stealing planes, boats and cars, and breaking into homes and businesses in Washington, Idaho and British Columbia.

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Six comments on this story so far. Add yours!

• 

  smarg on March 18 at 12:12 p.m.

  I hope they catch him, tie him up, douse his scrotum in gasoline, and then throw him a match.

• 

  remymartin on March 18 at 12:44 p.m.

  I hope that when they corner this garbage, he puts up some resistance and the law has to eliminate him. There is no reason to put up with this any longer. Let;s “kill the chicken”, so to speak.

• 

  Hcklbery on March 18 at 2:31 p.m.

  It was only a matter of time before this happened, the local law enforcement agency is hemorrhaging prestige, credibility, which reduces their intimidation effectiveness they rely upon to hold the criminal element in check. Now that lost of effectiveness is contaminating the waters of the surrounding and even federal agencies, by the growing emboldening of the criminals toward their nemeses with an increase in bold attacks upon the police in open warfare. The beginning of any dam breach is just such a small leak.
  I would be not one wit surprised if this fella is in custody by this weekend.
  Now that he has risen to the level of the irritant they haven’t been able to scratch HIS DAYS ARE NUMBERED>

• 

  BigE on March 18 at 3:10 p.m.

  He is as dumb as he looks but, he has been able to stay hidden for quite some time. There have been stories about this punk, they were playing up the bad boy image and how Momma had tried but it just did not work out, didn’t have enough clout to put some fear into him. The number one reason we all toed the line back in the day, any adult would of kicked my butt if I was out of line, no balls, no guts, no one has any spine.
  .

• 

  Orange on March 18 at 8:29 p.m.

  Now wait a minute. Everyone is up in arms about police brutality, but now it’s condoned? Hypocrites! He’ll get his justice soon. Or crash a plane.

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  Hcklbery on March 22 at 3:02 p.m.

  THIS CHILD’S LIFE AS A FREE SELF DETERMINING INDIVIDUAL IS OVER AND HE IS EITHER HEADED FOR A VERY LONG STINT IN PRISON OR A TROPHY LAYING DIEING IN HIS OWN BLOOD ON SOME HOME OWNER’S FLOOR.
  THIS BOY IS PLAYING DODGE-BALL ON AN OPEN INTERSTATE AT NIGHT.
  IF INDEED HE IS NOT CAUGHT THAN IT TRULY AND LITERALLY IS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE THE WORST SCENARIO UNFOLDS ON THE HEADLINES PAGE OF OUR LOCAL NEWS AGENCY.
  IT IS INEVITABLE.