Are Police Closing in on Colton Harris-Moore, the Barefoot Bandit?
NEW YORK (CBS) The Pacific Northwest's Colton Harris-Moore, the most wanted teenager in America, appears to have headed east, leaving a series of car thefts and airport break-ins reported in South Dakota, Nebraska and Iowa.
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Police have not confirmed that the suspected thief and burglar is Harris-Moore, but the crimes have all the earmarks of the 19-year-old known as "The Barefoot Bandit" for allegedly leaving his bare footprints at the scene of his crimes.
The crime wave came to a head at 3:02 a.m. Friday morning during a tense standoff at a home near Chan Gurney Airport in Yankton, S.D., according to Jerry Hisek, the assistant police chief of the Yankton Police Department.
In an interview with CBS affiliate KELO, homeowner Kelly Kneifl told reporter Shawn Neisteadt that Kelly's wife was the first one through the door early Friday morning and screamed when she saw the intruder's hand. Kelly ran past his wife into the house and saw a naked young man run to the back. As Kelly gave chase, the young intruder shouted "Stop or I'll shoot," and it was then that Kelly looked down to see a red dot on his chest.
There is no way of knowing if the laser dot came was coming from a gun or was just a laser pointer, but the homeowner fled and called police. Hisek said that police surrounded the home but the burglar was nowhere to be found. Police dogs, helicopters and even bloodhounds from a local search and rescue group were brought to the area, but the young man, who fit the description of Harris-Moore, escaped.
The homeowner, who'd been away for more than a week, later discovered that the intruder had eaten food, taken a shower, and appeared to have given himself a haircut. "Brown hair was found in the house," Hisek said, and there apparently was so much hair found that police suspect the burglar may have shaved his head. One thing certain is that the intruder left a lot of DNA evidence behind.
After Yankton Police reported the break-in, Hisek reported getting calls from his police colleagues in Washington State who've been pursuing Harris-Moore for more than two years, since the youth escaped from a halfway house in Renton, Wash. In the intervening time, Harris-Moore has allegedly stolen cars, trucks, boats and four airplanes. The string of thefts has turned him into something of a folk hero on the internet. He has tens of thousands of fans on Facebook, T-shirts with his image are being sold, and songs have been written.
There is nothing heroic about Harris-Moore, however, to the business people he's allegedly stolen from, people like Marion Rathbone, general manager of Vern's Restaurant on Orcas Island, Wash. Rathbone told CBS News that she may have to close her restaurant because more than $12,000 was stolen from her safe, money that she used to tide her over during the quiet winter months.
The house break-in was not the only criminal activity reported in Yankton last week. Earlier in the week, Gary Carlson, manager of Chan Gurney Airport, reported that someone had broken into his office, used his computer and stolen some blankets. Detectives have fingerprinted the computer but have not revealed the outcome of those tests, Carlson told CBS News. He said "three or four" airport hangers were also broken into but that "the planes [Harris-Moore] is known for flying were not here."
Police say that Harris-Moore has stolen two Cessna 182 and two Cirrus SR planes. He allegedly crash-landed twice but made successful landings two other times. Part of Harris-Moore's appeal is that he had never even been inside a plane until he allegedly stole and flew his first one back in November 2008. He apparently learned how to fly by watching a DVD and playing video games.
Carlson said authorities found a pickup truck at his airport that was stolen from Spearfish, S.D. The thief also stole rental car keys from the Yankton airport but not the rental car that was sitting in the lot. Carlson suspected that the thief may have been scared off and made his way into the home where he remained for the rest of the week. After being surprised by the homeowner, the burglar stole another car, a 2008 white Toyota Sequoia that was found Sunday at the Karl Stefan Memorial Airport in Norfolk, Nebraska. According to published reports, break-ins were reported at that airport as well.
In Norfolk, police said the thief fled in a 2008 Cadillac Escalade that was later left in Pella, Iowa where yet another car was stolen.
Paul LaRosa, who reported this story, is an investigative producer for 48 Hours | Mystery.
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