It is the final note of a ballad that has been playing for more than three years.

Colton Harris-Moore was sentenced in Island County Superior Court on Dec. 16 to seven years and three months, after pleading guilty to 16 counts from Island County and 17 counts from San Juan County, including the left of six boats and airplanes.

That sentence has provoked mixed reactions from victims and law enforcement on Orcas Island.

“I understand that he didn’t get much time because he didn’t really ‘hurt’ anyone,” said Orcas police sergeant Steve Vierthaler. “I guess I would ask what your definition is of hurting someone! I know from personal experience with this whole Colton Harris-Moore episode that a lot of people were hurt by this kid. People here lived in fear of this unknown burglar and this certainly ruined the ‘island feel’ of the San Juans for a lot of people here. I read his apology letter and have no doubt that it was written by someone else. There is no way those are the words of a young kid.”

It’s a sentiment echoed by San Juan County prosecutor Randy Gaylord, who detailed Harris-Moore’s crimes during the hearing.

Gaylord said the Barefoot Bandit exhibited “a high level of sophistication and planning.” He explained how Harris-Moore broke into a business, ordered a DVD about “how to fly airplanes” and broke in again three days later to steal it.

Gaylord described how Harris-Moore created a little “den or lair” in an upper level of an Orcas Island hangar owned by Mike Parnell and his family. Harris-Moore kept the family “under surveillance” and moved into the home when they were away.

“He would eat their food, take their shoes and put on their clothes,” Gaylord said. “He made the place his own when they were not there.”

“I would say Eastsound lost its innocence at the hands of Mr. Harris-Moore,” he added.

In handing down the sentence, Judge Vickie Churchill said she was mindful of Harris-Moore’s “tragic” childhood. He started stealing and burglarizing homes when he was a boy to get something to eat after his mother drank away the welfare money, according to court testimony. Children taunted him at school for living in a derelict home and wearing clothes that didn’t fit.

“It was a mind-numbing absence of hope,” Churchill said of Harris-Moore’s written description of his childhood.

She balanced the sentencing recommendations from the defense and prosecution and came down in the middle with her decision.

Known as the Barefoot Bandit, Harris-Moore grabbed national headlines during a two-year crime spree that spanned nine states and prompted an international manhunt. He was arrested on July 11, 2010 in the Bahamas.

Harris-Moore had previously pleaded guilty in June to seven federal charges, including plane and boat theft and bank burglary. As part of his plea agreement, he consented to using proceeds made from movie or books deals to pay restitution. He will sentenced on the federal charges in January, but his lawyers have stated they are hopeful his entire sentence will not exceed 10 years.

During the sentencing hearing in Coupeville, Harris-Moore’s defense attorneys, a forensic psychiatrist and even prosecutors described him as a painfully shy young man who survived a horrendous childhood, is embarrassed by media attention and does not consider himself a folk hero.

Dr. Richard Adler, a Seattle forensic and clinical psychiatrist who specializes in fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, testified that Harris-Moore clearly suffers from “an alcohol-related neurodevelopmental disorder” that was aggravated by his home life. He said the disorder causes him to have problems with impulsivity and language. The doctor said repeated testing showed that Harris-Moore isn’t “hyper-intelligent” or especially sophisticated.

In August, Harris-Moore signed a deal with 20th Century Fox worth as much as $1.3 million in order to make enough money to pay back his burglary victims. His owes an estimated $1.4 million in damages.

Jason Linnes, manager of Island Market on Orcas, is set to receive around $25,000 after Harris-Moore used a pallet driver to bash in an ATM and six interior doors.

“I think the sentence was fair, I’m just ready for him to start paying restitution to all of his victims,” Linnes said.

Jessie Stensland, assistant editor of the Whidbey News Times, contributed to this story.