No evidence yet that teen fugitive stole boat

Published 10:15 pm Tuesday, May 25, 2010

CLINTON — Sheriff’s deputies on either side of Puget Sound are investigating a boat stolen sometime over the weekend from the southern tip of Whidbey Island and recovered Monday on the Kitsap Peninsula near Kingston.

Some people are speculating that the boat theft and a recent home burglary on Whidbey Island may be the work of the notorious teenage fugitive Colton Harris-Moore.

Detectives said they have no evidence that Harris-Moore, 19, is a suspect.

“We’ve got nothing that ties it directly to him,” Island County sheriff’s detective Ed Wallace said.

Still, Wallace said he couldn’t rule Harris-Moore out.

Harris-Moore is suspected by police of stealing a power boat from Lopez Island on May 15 and ditching it off the south Camano Island coast.

He’s been on the run since April 2008 and is suspected of breaking into homes and businesses, stealing four planes, luxury cars and several boats.

The most recent investigation involves a 27-foot power boat taken from Sandy Point near Clinton and found Monday morning hard aground near the Eglon Beach boat launch, Kitsap County sheriff’s deputy Scott Wilson said. The boat’s ignition was stripped and the cabin ransacked of valuables.

Registration papers led deputies on the west side of the sound to the owner on Whidbey.

Wilson said deputies weren’t able to collect much evidence from the boat and they have no suspects in the theft.

Island County deputies also learned Monday of at least one home burglary on the south end of Whidbey Island, not far from where the boat was stolen.

The victim didn’t immediately report the break in to police, Wallace said. He urged people to call 911 right away to report break-ins, thefts or other suspicious activity.

Reporter Jackson Holtz: 425-339-3437, jholtz@heraldnet.com.