18-Year-Old Suspected Of Plane Thefts

September 25, 2009
18-Year-Old Suspected Of Plane Thefts
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By Glenn Pew, Contributing Editor, Video Editor

avweb.com/avwebflash/news/pl … MP=OTC-RSS

Authorities on Camano Island in Washington state suspect a one-man crime spree that’s now spread to include the theft of two aircraft – one of which resulted in an alleged 9/11 joy ride – to be the product of an 18-year-old previously held at a minimum-security Renton juvenile facility from which he escaped. The Seattle Times quotes local authorities who call Colton Harris-Moore a “menace” and an “incredible liability to people’s safety.” Local sheriff Bill Cumming told the Times be believes the teen stole a Cessna 182 from an Orcas Island hangar last November , flying it east to a hard landing on the Yakama Indian Reservation. The Sept. 11 incident involved a new Cirrus SR22 allegedly stolen by the teen from Friday Harbor and flown to Orcas Island where it too was put down, hard, according to authorities. (At least one report suggests the boy read a flight manual and learned how to fly on the Internet.) The next night, when the Times says the teen was chased by a policeman on Orcas Island, authorities say the young man “laughed out loudly” when he realized he’d escaped. The teen is also suspected in multiple other thefts (including that of a boat) and local burglaries with some episodes caught on surveillance video. His mother has a slightly different opinion of the events.

“I know for a fact he is not doing all of these crimes,” Pam Koehler told reporters Tuesday. “Anytime the cops can’t catch whoever is doing them, they blame it on Colt,” she said. Wanted for failing to appear in court on 10 criminal counts, the teen’s record traces back to 2004 or 2003 (depending on the source), when he would have been 12. A warrant for his arrest is outstanding.

Wow- Orcas Island to Yakima is not what you really call a joy ride. You have to cross the Cascade Mtns. That kid had more balls then brains

Seattle Times news hmmm, he can fly a Cirrus no problem!!

‘A 2009 Cirrus Aircraft model SR22 was stolen from Friday Harbor Airport and recovered at Eastsound Airport. The plane belongs to a Portland man. The aircraft had damage to the landing gear, the cargo door lock was missing, the left side door loc was damaged and the right side door lock was missing. Attempts to find fingerprints inside were unsuccessful. The theft was believed to be related to the Colton Harris-Moore case.’

from Sheriff log from San Juan County.

Prolly a flight simmer :laughing:

I love the mother in denial of the fact that her son is a delinquent criminal.

Sounds like he learned to fly from watching Allen’s videos. Next time, he needs to stay in the pattern to work on his landings.

this shows you the value of FS, to be honest, its bad that he did it, but its good that the software is that lifelike.

Gotta admit, he did WAY better than a whole list of Cirrus pilots WITH certificates. When he gets out of jail or what ever institution they put him in, he should take lessons. :smiley:

i watch all these videos, religiously.
keith.tristesse.com/page/flights
160knots.com/videos.htm
terwilligerproductions.com/

They are almost like family now.

…so that when he steals a plane, he can keep using it for several flights. 8)

I’ll bet the insurance companies would save money if they taught him to fly… to land anyways.

Smart @ss :stuck_out_tongue: Are you taking over Pike’s role?

:laughing: :wink: Theres one in every crowd… :smiley:

i think it was a complement

Great…Another hit against Flight Simulator. First it is implicated in 9/11 (I don’t think that is an ‘official’ thing, but I’ve seen some reports that the perpetrators used it as a training tool), and now this.

They’re closing in
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2010004480_websearch05m.html

Could the notorious teen burglar really teach himself how to fly?

http://www.king5.com/video/seattletimes/index.html?nvid=404291

http://www.seattlepi.com/sound/415345_sound84145047.html

Sounds like the kid has a SR-22 in his log book now.

Kid’s becoming a legend, taunting the police.

Crazy - they need to catch him and see if an F-16 off his wing can’t scare him straight! And in related news, Meek makes a comeback…