Mon, Feb 15, 2010
Latest Joyride Skirted Olympic Airspace
A Cirrus SR22 that encroached on the airspace under a TFR for
the Winter Olympics in Vancouver may be the work of a teenage
serial vandal. This is the latest of four aircraft burglaries
in the Pacific Northwest attributed to 18-year-old Colton
Harris-Moore, nicknamed the "Barefoot Bandit".
Sectional showing Olympic TFR
The SR22 was stolen from an airfield near Port Angeles, WA, late
on Wednesday night and was "flying erratically" according to police
reports. The aircraft got attention when it approached the
restricted airspace with no clearance and squawking the wrong
transponder code. Controllers did not pursue any action as
the Cirrus dropped off their radar near airfield on Orcas Island
Airport (KORS).
The aircraft was found at KORS, about 40 miles north of Port
Angeles, with damage from a hard landing. Harris-Moore does
not have a pilots license or any record of formal training.
The Orcas Homegrown Market near the airstrip was also robbed late
that night. The thief left chalk outlines of footprints and
scrawled "C-Ya" on the floor, adding to the suspicion that
Harris-More was involved.
File Photo of Cirrus SR22
"It should be more about the apprehension of an adult felon
criminal and not so much about everything else making this person
into a Robin Hood or cult hero," said Island County Sheriff Mark
Brown, expressing his concern over the teen's growing fame.
No charges have been filed against Harris-Moore for the aircraft
thefts. Police are continuing to gather evidence in all four
cases to determine if they are indeed linked and, if so, whether
the Barefoot Bandit was the culprit.
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