Colton Harris-Moore stands in front of Judge Vickie I. Churchill in Island County Superior Court to enter guilty pleas to 15 charges and an Alford Plea to one firearms charge in Coupeville on Dec. 16, 2011. (Mark Mulligan / Herald file)

Colton Harris-Moore stands in front of Judge Vickie I. Churchill in Island County Superior Court to enter guilty pleas to 15 charges and an Alford Plea to one firearms charge in Coupeville on Dec. 16, 2011. (Mark Mulligan / Herald file)

U.S. Attorney opposes early release for ‘Barefoot Bandit’

Colton Harris-Moore wants out of supervision so he can pursue public speaking and see friends.

SEATTLE — Seattle Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Dion doesn’t think that Colton Harris-Moore should get out of his supervision early.

Harris-Moore earned the moniker “The Barefoot Bandit” about a decade ago when he went on a prolific crime spree, committing 67 state and federal crimes in a two-year span. He left a wake of stolen cars and planes in his path, eventually crashing a Cessna 400 in the Bahamas, where he was finally arrested in July 2010.

Harris-Moore, who grew up on Camano Island, was sentenced to more than six years in prison in January 2012 and was ordered to pay $1.3 million in restitution.

Now 28, he has just five months of supervised release left.

Saying that he’s turned his life around, he wrote U.S. District Court Judge Richard Jones in April asking that the remainder of his sentence be dropped.

In an opposition brief filed Friday in U.S. District Court in Seattle, Dion disagreed. He wrote that Harris-Moore has done well in supervision, and has a promising future, but simply following the rules of probation isn’t enough.

“It seems that Harris-Moore has simply grown tired of supervision,” Dion wrote. “That is understandable, but hardly a reason for early termination.”

A hearing regarding the motion for early termination has yet to be scheduled.

Harris-Moore said the supervision has prevented him from a lucrative career in public speaking. He could earn $10,000 per speech “at the low end,” he wrote, which could go toward paying restitution.

Harris-Moore also wrote in court papers that he couldn’t see friends in far-flung countries such as France, China or South Korea.

Dion called the claims “baseless speculation.”

He said there’s no evidence that any such travel has been denied. Harris-Moore never asked his probation officer if he could travel for a speaking engagement, Dion wrote.

Apparently, the probation officer “supported the idea in principle” in an interview with the U.S. Attorney’s Office. He reportedly said he would be open to any requests to travel as a paid speaker.

Furthermore, Dion wrote, Harris-Moore failed to identify a single case in which he had to turn down a speaking engagement.

Dion was dubious that probation really restricted Harris-Moore from traveling, as it would only take a couple of weeks to approve a request. If people were willing to pay so much for an appearance, it’s likely they would book an event much further in advance.

Likewise, Dion wrote, there’s no reason to believe Harris-Moore couldn’t plan an international trip to see friends ahead of time.

“No doubt many people on supervision would prefer to skip the last few months of their term,” Dion wrote. “But the law — and common sense — say that there should actually be a reason to terminate supervision.”

Zachariah Bryan: 425-339-3431; zbryan@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @zachariahtb.

Correction: An earlier version misstated who wrote the opposition brief.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Olivia Vanni / The Herald 
The Mukilteo Lighthouse. Built in 1906, it’s one of the most iconic landmarks in Snohomish County.
The Mukilteo Lighthouse. Built in 1906, it’s one of the most iconic landmarks in Snohomish County. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Mukilteo mayor vetoes council-approved sales tax

The tax would have helped pay for transportation infrastructure, but was also set to give Mukilteo the highest sales tax rate in the state.

Marysville Mayor Jon Nehring gives the state of the city address at the Marysville Civic Center on Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2024, in Marysville, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Marysville council approves interim middle housing law

The council passed the regulations to prevent a state model code from taking effect by default. It expects to approve final rules by October.

x
State audit takes issue with Edmonds COVID grant monitoring

The audit report covered 2023 and is the third since 2020 that found similar issues with COVID-19 recovery grant documentation.

Bothell
Bothell man pleads guilty to sexual abuse of Marysville middle schoolers

The man allegedly sexually assaulted three students in exchange for vapes and edibles in 2022. His sentencing is set for Aug. 29.

Larsen talks proposed Medicaid cuts during Compass Health stop in Everett

Compass Health plans to open its new behavioral health center in August. Nearly all of the nonprofit’s patients rely on Medicaid.

A wall diagram shows the “journey of the ballot” at the new Elections Center on Tuesday, July 9, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
County Auditor: No need for feds to meddle with state or local elections

Garth Fell’s comments were in response to a report of Justice Department mulling criminal charges against election officials.

Edmonds Police Chief Loi Dawkins speaks after the city council approved her appointment on Tuesday, July 8, 2025 in Edmonds, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Edmonds City Council confirms new police chief

Assistant Chief Loi Dawkins will begin in the role Aug. 1. She has more than 23 years of law enforcement experience, including three years in Edmonds.

Community members gather for the dedication of the Oso Landslide Memorial following the ten-year remembrance of the slide on Friday, March 22, 2024, at the Oso Landslide Memorial in Oso, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
The Daily Herald garners 6 awards from regional journalism competition

The awards recognize the best in journalism from media outlets across Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington.

The Edmonds City Council discuss the levy during a city council meeting on Tuesday, July 8, 2025 in Edmonds, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Edmonds votes to place levy lid lift on the ballot

By a vote of 5-2, the council decided to put the $14.5 million property tax levy lid lift to voters in November.

A trash hauler from Republic Services. (Provided photo)
Growing Teamsters strike disrupts garbage pickup in Snohomish County

Republic Services said a temporary work stoppage is causing some customers in the county to experience “temporary service delays.”

Lily Lamoureux stacks Weebly Funko toys in preparation for Funko Friday at Funko Field in Everett on July 12, 2019.  Kevin Clark / The Herald)
Everett-based Funko ousts its CEO after 14 months

The company, known for its toy figures based on pop culture, named Michael Lunsford as its interim CEO.

‘Courageous’ teen dives into Silver Lake to rescue 11-year-old

Gauge Bryant, 13, brought the child to the surface. The 11-year-old is in stable but critical condition, authorities said.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.