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Barefoot Bandit's crime spree could total in the millions

Barefoot Bandit capturedWhen police captured "Barefoot Bandit" Colton Harris-Moore early Sunday it was after an alleged crime spree that easily racks up millions of dollars in stolen cash and merchandise.

The FBI confirmed late Sunday the 19-year-old Washington state man, who has gained Internet fame with a fan club and more than 67,000 Facebook followers, was captured after a boat chase off Harbour Island in the Bahamas. Harris-Moore has been dubbed the "Barefoot Bandit" because some surveillance footage of crime scenes showed a suspect without shoes.

Harris-Moore is the prime suspect in more than 70 crimes that span four states and Canada, the FBI says. The alleged spree started two years ago after Harris-Moore escaped in April 2008 from a Renton, Wash. group home.
Crimes Harris-Moore is a suspect in include:
  • Home burglaries
  • Business break-ins
  • Vehicle thefts
  • Boat thefts
  • Airplane thefts
It's the alleged theft of a 2005 Cessna T182T, valued at $340,000, from Bonner's Ferry, Idaho in September 2009 that prompted the FBI to charge him with one count of interstate transportation of stolen property. Harris-Moore allegedly flew the plane until it ran out of gas and crash-landed 260 miles away near Snohomish, Wash., court papers say.

Time magazine in December called Harris-Moore "America's most wanted teenage bandit" and attributed thefts of speedboats, a Mercedes Benz and two more airplanes to the teen. Keep in mind that Harris-Moore never had formal flight training.

Then on July 5, a 2009 Cessna 400 Corvalis, stolen in Bloomington, Ind., crash-landed in three-foot-deep water off the coast of Abaco Island in the Bahamas. Police say about 11 hours later a nearby home was burglarized and a car stolen. Then six other homes and businesses were burglarized. The Los Angeles Times estimated the stolen boats and airplanes alone total $3 million.

After taking a 30-foot powerboat from the Romora Bay resort marina on nearby Harbour Island, police and the marina dockmaster chased down the boat and captured Harris-Moore. He was taken to Nassau and is expected to be in court there later this week.

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