Colton Harris-Moore, the 'Barefoot Burglar,' is still at large

Colton Harris-Moore has not yet been officially named the suspect in an airplane theft and burglary on Orcas, according to the San Juan County Sheriff's Office.

“He is the prime person of interest until we have physical evidence to link him to these crimes,” Sheriff Bill Cumming said. “We don't have those results yet. If he is physically tied to those scenes, he will be our suspect.”

Cumming would not comment on where the 18-year-old burglar might currently be, but his office is working non-stop with personnel from the FBI and the state.

“I am burning through my budget, and my employees,” Cumming said.

Police have not found anyone in San Juan County who is helping Harris-Moore, but Cumming doesn't rule out the possibility.

“We have not been able to determine if he has friends or family here, but that might not be an accurate conclusion,” he said. “We would speculate there are people who are aware of his activities, and some of them may be here in San Juan County.”

Cumming is perturbed by online fan support for Harris-Moore, who is allegedly responsible for a handful of burglaries on Orcas over the last two years, the theft of two boats and a plane from Orcas, the theft of a plane from Friday Harbor that was later hard-landed at the Port of Orcas, and around 30 burglaries in Island County.

“People are trying to grow the myth of Colton being some kind of folk hero, when in reality he is a serial burglar and a thief who has no sense of responsibility towards innocent people,” Cumming said.

Contact Islands Sounder Publisher, Editor Colleen Armstrong at editor@islandssounder.com or 1-360-376-4500.

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