This July 2009 self-portrait shows Colton Harris-Moore, who is suspected in about 50 burglary cases since he slipped away from a halfway house in April 2008. The photo was found by deputies on a stolen digital camera. (AP Photo)
A juvenile escapee from the state of Washington being sought across the country and gaining national attention as the "Barefoot Bandit" may be in Hancock County or the surrounding area.
Colton Harris Moore, 19, escaped from a juvenile facility two years ago in Washington and has been on a national crime spree, stealing planes, boats and cars, authorities said.
On Wednesday in northern Hancock County, sheriff's deputies recovered a vehicle believed to have been stolen by Moore in Iowa, and Sheriff John Jefferson is warning area residents the teen may be armed and will defend himself.
"They've been telling me if we catch this guy, I'll be on every newscast in the country," Jefferson said Friday morning. "CBS News, 48 Hours, we've been getting calls from everywhere."
Jefferson said Moore, a tall and thin man, is elusive and lives off the land, burglarizing residences of people who aren't home and stealing food to survive while living in the woods.
"You wouldn't even know he's been in your house, unless you notice some missing food," Jefferson said. "He's extremely intelligent, and he's learned to live off the land."
Authorities in Ottumwa, Iowa, said Moore stole a 2010 Chevy HHR on Tuesday from the City Works Department. The vehicle was recovered in a creek between Niota and Dallas City in an area known as Happy Hollow, Jefferson said.
The creek has risen due to recent heavy rains and washed away the crossing, and the vehicle became stuck. The windows were smashed out, the sheriff said.
The vehicle is being kept by the Hancock County Sheriff's Department, and Jefferson said Iowa authorities are convinced Moore stole the vehicle.
Jefferson said Moore may have a shotgun and handgun with him. He is not considered violent, but Jefferson said local residents are warned to not confront him but to call authorities if he's spotted.
Jefferson said it's possible Moore may head to more populated areas like Quincy or Macomb.
Moore likes to steal Cessna and Sirrus airplanes and taught himself to fly by using aircraft manuals, handbooks and computer program flight simulators. Jefferson said private airstrip owners in the county have been alerted to keep planes and property locked.
Moore also has several Facebook pages named after him, including one that has more than 42,000 "friends." Moore will come to areas with wireless access and use a laptop computer, authorities said, even ordering items off the Internet like night vision goggles.
Moore is suspected of at least 100 burglaries to private residences in the Pacific Northwest and Canada, and others in neighboring states as he's headed east, authorities say. The national media has branded him the "Barefoot Bandit" because he apparently committed several burglaries without wearing shoes or socks.
He's from Camano Island, Wash. Moore fled a three-year sentence by walking out of a halfway house in April 2008.
20th Century Fox has even bought film rights to the book "Taking Flight: The Hunt for a Young Outlaw."
