CAMANO ISLAND — A prominent Seattle attorney said he will defend Colton Harris-Moore.
John Henry Browne, who has represented a number of people in high-profile cases, told KIRO-TV he officially has signed on as counsel for the “Barefoot Bandit.”
The notorious serial burglar could be back in the Pacific Northwest as early as next week, federal officials said.
“The stars would have to align for him,” said David Miller, a spokesman for the U.S. Marshals Service in Seattle. It’s more likely to take longer for the fugitive to return to his home state.
Browne, the attorney, expected to talk to the young fugitive from Camano Island prior to a scheduled appearance in federal court in Miami today.
Meanwhile, Harris-Moore’s mother refused to say Thursday if she has talked to her son, who remained locked up in federal detention in Florida.
Harris-Moore, 19, was arrested in the Bahamas on Sunday and deported Tuesday.
“I don’t know,” said Pam Kohler, 59, when asked if she’d talked to her son.
The mother and son have a tumultuous history, according to court papers filed in Island and Snohomish counties.
Still, Harris-Moore told a judge Wednesday in Miami that he needed to call his mom for legal guidance.
“I love him. I miss him. I’ll be glad when he gets to Washington state, and that’s all I have to say,” Kohler said. She’s retained a Seattle-based entertainment attorney, O. Yale Lewis Jr.
Harris-Moore’s legal proceedings were delayed to give him time to seek defense counsel. Kohler previously called Browne in hopes that her son would choose to work with the well-known attorney.
Browne has handled high-profile cases in the past including Tulalip tribal member Stormmy Paul who was charged in a cigarette smuggling case and Teresa Gaethe-Leonard, convicted of the 1997 murder of her estranged husband.
The prisoner is facing federal and state charges and is expected to be returned to U.S. District Court in Seattle after a judge in Miami officially confirms his identity.
Emily Langlie, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney’s office in Seattle, said the government plans to argue that Harris-Moore is a flight risk and a potential danger to the community.
“Our counterparts (in Miami) will argue strongly for his detention,” she said.
Even if a federal judge were to allow Harris-Moore’s release from federal custody, he likely then would be turned over to Washington state officials.
Not only is Harris-Moore charged with multiple felonies in courts here, he still owes time on a juvenile sentence that was unfinished when he escaped from a Renton group home in April 2008. He was serving time for residential burglaries on Camano Island and Stanwood, crimes that first earned the young felon headlines.
Under Washington law, he must finish serving the juvenile sentence before a state judge could consider releasing him, officials said.
“You can’t get out on bail when you’ve got a sentence,” said Dana Phelps, a Juvenile Rehabilitation Administration spokeswoman. She made the remarks in June, prior to Harris-Moore’s arrest.
U.S. marshals will escort the prisoner back to Seattle, a process that could take up to four weeks and likely will be done in secret.
Browne said that he expected Harris-Moore would be returned to Seattle within days.
The prisoner’s transportation depends on availability of a secure aircraft, Miller said. There are only a couple of flights a month from Miami to Seattle and they don’t operate on a set schedule.
“(Browne) wouldn’t know when the flight was,” Miller said.
But luck has followed the 6-foot, 5-inch teenager, and Harris-Moore could be back in the Northwest soon — albeit to return to secure detention center in Sea-Tac.
“If timing is perfect, he potentially could be back next week,” Miller said.
Jackson Holtz: 425-339-3437; jholt@heraldnet.com.
Jackson Holtz: 425-339-3437; jholt@heraldnet.com.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
