18-year-old Colton Harris-Moore is apparently the prime suspect in a fourth stolen aircraft episode in the northwest — this one involving a Cirrus SR22 and the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. This time, the plane was flown near airspace that is restricted for the Winter Games and landed on Orcas Island, off the coast of Washington state. If Harris-Moore is the culprit, he may have improved his un-certificated flying skills. The Cirrus came to rest in the mud near a runway and CNN reported it was undamaged (though a sheriff they interviewed also said it was). The teen’s alleged prior (aircraft) thefts have included a Cessna 182 and another Cirrus SR22 and all resulted in some damage to aircraft. Local authorities say the thefts share geographically proximate landing sites. All aircraft were put down near where Harris-Moore is known to have spent time. The young man has not been formally charged in any of the thefts, but he does face upward of 11 other charges ranging from burglary to identity theft to stealing a car. His current whereabouts are unknown.
Police say the young man has successfully stolen credit card numbers by breaking into homes and writing down the digits and leaving the cards behind. He has allegedly used them to purchase GPS units and police scanners. Authorities note that Harris-Moore’s adventures have earned him some 30,000 “friends” on his alleged Facebook page. When we checked, we saw only 17,846. But that number doesn’t include the 18,324 members of his fan club page, where he is described as “Western Washington’s new Jesse James (without the murders).” His mother, who has previously commented with concern regarding her son’s alleged activities, has also noted that she was impressed that he had seemingly taught himself to fly. Fans of his Facebook page mostly write words of encouragement, sometimes including “don’t hurt anyone.”
