'Barefoot Bandit' returns to Island County Dec. 16

The date for the so-called Barefoot Bandit to appear in Island County Superior Court has finally been set.

Colton Harris-Moore is scheduled to appear in court on Friday, Dec. 16 to enter guilty pleas to crimes he allegedly committed in the state. Harris-Moore, a 20-year-old Camano Island resident, has already pleaded guilty to seven federal criminal charges in U.S. District Court in Seattle.

The Island County Sheriff's Office is expecting a media circus. Detective Ed Wallace, the department's spokesman, sent out a press release to news organizations Monday afternoon, explaining the courtroom protocol. A secondary viewing room is being set up with a live stream from the courtroom.

Island County Prosecutor Greg Banks has been brokering a plea bargain to resolve 32 or more charges in four counties. He originally expected the hearing to take place last summer, but the date was continually pushed back because of difficulty finding a day when everyone involved could be in court.

Harris-Moore made international news in a crime spree that began after he escaped from a halfway house and returned to Camano Island to burglarize and steal. He evaded capture for months and then moved to other counties, where his fame grew after he allegedly stole boats and airplanes.

Harris-Moore, who allegedly committed at least one burglary while barefoot, was finally arrested in the Bahamas in 2010. He reportedly fled the United States in a plane stolen in Indiana.

Harris-Moore agreed to sell his story to a movie company for $1.3 million, but his victims will get the money under the plea deal in federal court.

Contact Whidbey News Times Assistant editor Jessie Stensland at jstensland@whidbeynewsgroup.com or 360.675.6611 ext. 5056.

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