SCOTT SIMON, host:
A teenager from Washington State has been on the run for eight months. He has been acclaimed as some kind of modern day Jesse James, minus the killing.
Reporter Vanessa Romo has the story of the outlaw police say is an amateur criminal but a master escape artist.
VANESSA ROMO: The last time authorities had Colton Harris-Moore in custody was in April of 2008. At that point, he was serving time in a halfway house for youth offenders, just south of Seattle. Hed been convicted of theft and possession of stolen property. It was bed-check and he was in his p.j.'s. But soon after the nightly routine he climbed out a window and into the night. Since then, the now-18-year-old fugitive has eluded police in Washington, Idaho, even Canada, repeatedly vanishing into the woods. Police suspect hes stolen at least two planes, two boats and several cars and that he has broken into more than 50 homes. Yet the only thing growing faster than Harris-Moores alleged rap sheet is his legend.
Sheriff MARK BROWN (Camano Island County): I dont understand it myself.
ROMO: Local County Sheriff Mark Brown leans far back in his office chair and bristles at the mention of Harris-Moores exploding popularity.
Sheriff BROWN: Reasonable people would not want to idolize somebody or sensationalize somebody thats a thief.
ROMO: As of today, Harris-Moores wanted in five counties on multiple charges. But 10 of them are in Harris-Moores hometown Sheriff Brown's jurisdiction.
Sheriff BROWN: Taking motor vehicle on the second degree, attempting to elude malicious mischief third degree.
ROMO: Theres a competitive history between this department and Harris-Moore, starting when he was a toddler. Back then police appeared often on the doorstep of the double-wide trailer where Harris-Moore grew up responding to calls of domestic abuse between his mother and father. Over the years, police say Harris-Moore has evolved from a petty thief stealing food and blankets, to where he is today a convicted felon on the run.
During a recent appearance on a local Seattle radio show, Harris-Moores mother, Pamela Kohler, said she has no idea where her son is hiding.
Ms. PAMELA KOHLER: And I like it like that, because that way I dont have any information to give to the police.
ROMO: Kohler says shes writing a book about her sons exploits. She plans to use the profits to open an animal shelter for abused pets, something her son had dreamed of doing, she says. Kohler also claims hes a genius.
Ms. KOHLER: He took an IQ test a few years ago and hes three points below Einstein. And if he flew those planes without lessons, I am very, very proud.
ROMO: But hes not a boy only a mother can love. He has a growing legion of fans and not just locally. Harris-Moores infamy reaches far beyond the small Puget Sound community whose homes he has invaded and credit cards he has stolen. Feelings about Harris-Moore run the gamut from locals tired of the story and answering reporters questions to fierce fans enamored with the growing myth.
People have even written songs like this one, "The Ballad of Barefoot Harris."
(Soundbite of song The Ballad of Barefoot Harris)
Unidentified Man #1: (Singing) But hed never hurt a fly, and hed never kill a man, and he never will be found.
ROMO: Fans as far as Greece, Italy and Australia extend open-door invitations through the magic of Facebook. To date, there are more than 16,000 members signed on to a fan page who wish him luck on the lam. Girls, taken by his almond-shaped blue eyes, beg him to visit their homes and make offers of girlfriending him. Guys mock the law enforcement agencies who have failed to capture the 6-foot-5, 210-pound teen.
Aidin Stephens(ph) is also rooting for the runaway. And not just because Stephens sells fan club T-shirts bearing Harris-Moore's picture for $15 piece.
Mr. AIDIN STEPHENS: Being good doesnt really get you very far. Its kind of a suckers swindle.
ROMO: He explains the publics romanticized version of Harris-Moores alleged crime sprees this way.
Mr. STEPHENS: Theres haves and have-nots in the world, and whether hes a mastermind or not, he obviously was never going to have the kind of opportunities that some people might have to have a Mercedes or to be a pilot. I mean, its an expensive hobby to have an airplane.
ROMO: Nobody knows that better than Bob Rivers, whose plane was worth $150,000. That is, before Harris-Moore allegedly stole, then totaled it. It took police almost a year to link Rivers four-seater Cessna to the wanted teen. But despite their assertions, Rivers, a Seattle host for CBS Radio, is not entirely convinced Harris-Moore is really responsible. And hes reluctant to add to the fugitive's growing legend.
Mr. BOB RIVERS: Theres a saying in aviation: There are old pilots and there are bold pilots, but there are no old bold pilots. Colton has clearly done some bold things, but could he learn to fly on the Internet and then crash-land several planes in a row, in rugged terrain, and walk away each time without a scratch?
ROMO: The story, if true, is what makes Harris-Moore's life the stuff movies are made of. Just last month, a documentary film crew landed on Camano Island interviewing locals. And a slew of production companies have courted Kohler for access to her son. Of course, this isnt a movie. With each new crime thats attributed to the teen, the stakes get higher and the potential for a dangerous confrontation increases, which is why authorities and Harris-Moores mother are hoping for the least cinematic ending that the 18-year-old quietly turns himself in.
For NPR News, Im Vanessa Romo.
SIMON: And you can see a self-portrait of the teen outlaw taken by the stolen camera of course it would be stolen - on our Web site npr.org. Youre listening to WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News.