Authorities Scale Back Search for Colton Harris-Moore

March 18, 2010 — -- An intensive search for Colton Harris-Moore, the alleged "Barefoot Bandit" suspected in dozens of burglaries, boat and airplane thefts and crash landings in the San Juan County area of Washington state, was scaled back after law enforcement failed to find any sign of the elusive teen.

Earlier, it appeared as if law enforcement might have been hot on Harris-Moore's trail. A search team that included 35 San Juan County sheriff's deputies, two teams of "specially trained man trackers," Whatcom County and Snohomish County dog tracking teams, two five-member tracking teams from the Marysville, Wash., Police Department, FBI personnel, and air support from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Service were said to be scouring Orcas Island, Wash., for the suspect.

The search began at 1:15 a.m. today after law enforcement received a tip that Harris-Moore may have been hiding out on the west side of Orcas Island, San Juan County Sheriff Bill Cumming said.

"Aggressive efforts to locate Harris-Moore will be continued by San Juan County Sheriff's Office personnel and supporting agencies," Cumming said in a written statement as the search was scaled down.

"This is a very isolated and very rugged area where only a few homes are located," Cumming's release added. "Ground and air access to the area was controlled. Reports of any suspicious person or activity were pursued. Resources from multiple mainland agencies were deployed."

Officials have suspected Harris-Moore of being back on Orcas Island since February. They suspect he was behind an early morning attempted break-in at the Ace Hardware store on Orcas Island March 1, a target he is suspected of hitting previously.

Officials believe he returned Feb. 11, after a $600,000 Cirruss SR22 single-engine plane was stolen from an airport in Anacortes, Wash., and landed rather sloppily, officials say, off the runway into the mud at the Orcas Island Airport.

Harris-Moore is suspected in the theft and crash landing of two other airplanes around the island and San Juan County areas, despite having no formal flight experience, police say, other than ordering a flight instruction manual with a stolen credit card.