Is. County waits for Colton’s arrival

The Camano Island teen who has managed to captivate the attention of media around the world, was deported by the Bahamian government last Tuesday.

After Colton Harris-Moore, 19, pleaded guilty in a Bahamas courtroom to a single charge of illegal entry into a Caribbean nation, a judge sentenced him to three months in jail or a $300 fine. His lawyer in the Bahamas, Monique Gomez said the U.S. Embassy paid his fine (reportedly funds wired by his mother) and he was escorted by air to Miami, Florida, later that day.

Harris-Moore reportedly told police in Nassau that he had chosen to escape to the Bahamas because there were so many islands there. A police officer not authorized to speak to the media claimed Harris-Moore told islanders he was trying to get to Cuba, but actually had planned to flee to the British territorial Turks and Caicos Islands, slightly southeast of the Bahamas.

The young fugitive from Camano Island could be back in Washington as early as this week. He will first face federal charges, said Island County Prosecuting Attorney Greg Banks.

The feds have him, said Banks. “It’s not likely they will let him loose for a while. They are keeping us in the loop.”

As of last week, there was one case that included 10 charges pending in the Island County Prosecutor’s Office, but sheriff deputies were expected to refer several more cases soon, said Banks. Of the 10 charges, six are felonies and four are misdemeanors.

There are warrants issued for Harris- Moore’s arrest in Island and San Juan counties. Federal charges were filed against Harris Moore in December on interstate transportation of stolen property, after a plane was stolen in Idaho and flown across state lines to Washington where it crash-landed near Granite Falls.

As for consolidating a multitude of charges filed in Oregon, South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana and Washington to reduce an administrative nightmare as suggested by his new Seattle defense attorney John Henry Brown, Banks said, “I don’t think that benefits anyone but that defense attorney.”

“Our cases won’t be consolidated,” said Banks.

Island County Sheriff Mark Brown said the county’s charges go back the farthest and should be a priority because witnesses begin to forget details necessary for a successful prosecution.

“It should be a cooperative, rather than a competitive, process,” said Brown.

He said victims on Camano Island deserve restitution after such a long wait and Harris-Moore still has two years left on a juvenile sentence, from a 2007 burglary conviction, which he escaped from in April 2008.

Brown said his officers worked diligently to capture the teen fugitive when he was in hiding on Camano. Deputies were close on several occasions during early morning aerial and ground searches over the two years he was on the lam. The challenge was catching the lanky 6-foot-5-inch teen after he would bolt.

He understands other jurisdictions’ frustrations at not being able to detain Harris-Moore.

“He is good at running and hiding at night,” said Brown. “He has no rules. We do.”

A law enforcement officer is trained to recognize a threat to his/her life or that of a citizen before he/she is allowed to use lethal force, he said.

“You just can’t shoot a fleeing felon,” said Brown. “We tried a variety of techniques, it just wasn’t the right time. I credit my officers. We were close to him a few times, but they exercised control.”

“My hat is off to the Bahamian authorities for his capture and incarceration,” added Brown.