SEATTLE — The “Barefoot Bandit” flew on a jet Wednesday, but this time he wasn’t the pilot, the plane wasn’t stolen and he was most certainly wearing shoes.
And handcuffs. And shackles.
The infamous Camano Island native was a prisoner aboard a secure U.S. Marshals Service flight that landed just after noon at Boeing Field.
“Colton Harris-Moore has been safely delivered to the federal detention center in Sea-Tac,” said David Miller, a spokesman for the U.S. Marshals Service.
The 19-year-old is scheduled to appear this afternoon in U.S. District Court in Seattle. Magistrate Judge Brian Tsuchida is expected to advise Harris-Moore of the charges he faces, the possible penalties — a maximum of 10 years based on current charges — and his constitutional rights, said Emily Langlie, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney’s office. The judge also likely will set a date for a preliminary hearing, and may set a date for a detention hearing.
The serial burglar was charged by complaint in federal court in December in connection with a stolen plane that crashed near Granite Falls. The charge was unsealed on July 6, two days after police believe Harris-Moore crashed a different stolen plane off the coast of the Bahamas.
A suspect in more than 70 crimes in nine states and three countries, Harris-Moore also faces theft, burglary and other charges in Island and San Juan counties, and Nebraska. He was dubbed the “Barefoot Bandit” after police reported seeing him running shoeless from some crime scenes.
“Where he belongs is behind bars,” Island County Sheriff Mark Brown said Wednesday. Harris-Moore’s criminal history began on south Camano Island when he was 12. He’s suspected in dozens of burglaries there.
Police and prosecutors from Island County are working with federal prosecutors to determine the best way to bring justice and restitution to Harris-Moore’s victims, Brown said.
Before dawn on July 11, Harris-Moore was arrested — barefoot — by Bahamian officials after a high-speed boat chase. The arrest ended a two-year string of crimes. Harris-Moore had been on the lam since April 2008 when he escaped from a Renton group home.
A Bahamian judge deported the fugitive on July 13. He was extradited to Washington after a brief court appearance in Miami on Friday.
There was widespread speculation that Harris-Moore would return to the Pacific Northwest this week, but federal marshals kept the prisoner’s travel plans secret.
Then Wednesday afternoon a press release was issued once Harris-Moore was behind bars at the Sea-Tac holding center.
He was scheduled to meet with an associate of John Henry Browne, the prominent Seattle criminal defense attorney, who is representing Harris-Moore.
Reached by phone Wednesday, Browne wouldn’t comment on the case. Harris-Moore’s mother, Pam Kohler, didn’t return The Herald’s calls.
Reporter Jackson Holtz: 425-339-3437; jholtz@heraldnet.com.
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