Colton Harris-Moore, infamously known as the Barefoot Bandit, has finally been caught. After giving the police and FBI a good two year run for their money, the Barefoot Bandit was arrested without shoes in the Bahamas after a boat chase shootout. Colton Harris-Moore escaped at 16 from a group home in Renton, Washington, a city relatively close to Seattle. He is on his way back to Washington State to face multiple charges. The Barefoot Bandit left behind a wake of stolen airplanes, books (that taught him how to fly), cars, boats, and many other things that helped him travel, survive, and best of all, dodge the police. He lived like some of us dream about in those secret recesses of our minds -- smart, free, and infamous.
The Barefoot Bandit, a folk hero, is just a 19 year old kid. His folk hero status was perpetuated by the media and their constant focus on his Barefoot Bandit following, whether by t-shirts made up by the locals or followers flocking to his Facebook page. After capture, the Barefoot Bandit walks head down in the media frenzy. His demeanor was contrary to his media buildup. In the Bahamas, questions arise about the length of time lapsed since last talking to his mom because when he's asked his lawyer's name he knows nothing except he has one. Back home. This information was apparently passed on from the Barefoot Bandit's mom, which comes as a surprise since the mama of the Barefoot Bandit has maintained all this time that she has not seen or heard from him in over two years. How convenient. Colton Harris-Moore apparently told the police when he was caught that he'd spoken with his mom "seven days ago." Assuming he's telling the truth, I believe this implicates her in feeding him information since that means they spoke before he was caught.
The Barefoot Bandit's mom, Pam Koehler, has always been suspect to me. Let's not forget that Colton, the Barefoot Bandit, started all of this by escaping from a group home. Now, I know people from group homes and they weren't there because the home life was fantastic. An ABC reporter spoke to the Barefoot Bandit's mom, asking her what she was going to say to her son when she saw him. Apparently Barefoot Bandit's mom thought that was a ridiculous question answering, "What kind of a question is that?" and promptly hanging up the phone. Really? Well, Barefoot Bandit's mother, what kind of answer is that? Is she trying to cut out the media's attention on herself now that her Barefoot Bandit son has garnered so much attention that Hollywood in interested? You bet.
I started thinking something a little more sinister about the Barefoot Bandit's mom. Perhaps at one point, like after he was dubbed the Barefoot Bandit and received national attention, maybe she cooked up a plan. Many of us saw the Catch Me If You Can movie with similar story lines as this one. It's hard not to draw a parallel. Maybe the Barefoot Bandit's mom told her son to do it big, to go as long as possible, all the while giving him information and hope along the way. After all, she has a lawyer for him. Could it be that the Barefoot Bandit, in all his glory, is a pawn to a money hungry mom who suddenly has a story to tell? Her boy is now worth a fortune.
While her son was on the run, often hiding and living in the woods, the Barefoot Bandit's mom claims to never ever have had contact with him. I don't buy it. Perhaps in the beginning after he escaped from the group home, but not all this time. Maybe she was relieved he was gone. My guess is the mom is going to sell him out at some point for money. There are book deals and movies offers in the works and he is still wrapped in hand cuffs. The Barefoot Bandit's mother has hired a lawyer, not to protect her from any wrongdoing or aiding and abetting, but to look out for her entertainment interests. Puke. What a mother. In a 2009 Irish Examiner quote, the Barefoot Bandit's mom said about her son, "He's smart. He took an IQ test a few years ago and he's three points below Einstein…I hope to hell he stole those airplanes – I would be so proud." Yeah, I bet she will take her pride all the way to the bank.