Colton Harris-Moore

It is hard to understand what goes through the mind of a child who has the home life and diagnoses such as what Colton had. It is not that often when someone of his stature takes law enforcement on a wild goose chase for as long as he did, but it makes me wonder though, "Would he have become the Barefoot Bandit if the outcome of his home life were totally different than what is stated in news and court reports?"

Colton's parents, Pamela A. Kohler and Gordon Moore, obviously weren't a match made in heaven. As stated in news and court reports, Pamela is an alcoholic who has had many boyfriends in and out of the home while Gordon, Colton's biological father, has been in and out of jail for burglary and meth use. At one time, a stepfather that Colton had become close to died, which I am sure took a mental tole on Colton. Reports have also stated that Colton's mother would break his toys for punishment as well as Colton having to endure her mental abuse. It is also stated that when Colton's biological father, Gordon Moore, took off running into the woods after a dealing with Colton, Pamela had asked Colton what he was going to do now that he has no father.

With having a home life such as this Colton lashed out in school by stealing and being a bully with the end result being expelled from one school and starting another. At one point he was diagnosed with having ADHD. If Colton wasn't medicated so as calm him down, allowing him to focus more on the task at hand, I can certainly understand where some of his behaviors would come from.

It is apparent by the age of 12 Colton was at his breaking point with his home life and chose to become the Barefoot Bandit. What has me perplexed though is why Colton did not take the offer an aunt had extended to him by stating he could live with her on her farm. Colton also has a step brother whom he hadn't seen in two years; why not reach out to him for help? Anything is better than living in a run down trailer with an alcoholic mother with many boyfriends in and out of the home, verbal abuse, and breaking of toys as punishment as well as a father who was hardly in Colton's life due to robbery and meth use.

It is what it is though. At the age of 12 Colton probably felt, in his own mindset, to go on a crime spree rather than take offers of other ways out.

Colton loved to fly planes and hoped one day to get his pilot license. So, naturally, the first item he stole was a plane. The cost of his thefts were in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, which included several small aircrafts, boats and multiple cars. Colton also broke into homes to eat, sleep and shower as well as restaurants and mini marts for food.

All the while Colton was still able to elude law enforcement while posting pictures to social media. As the old saying goes though, "All good things must come to an end." In 2010 Colton was captured in the Bahamas by the FBI with the assistance of a private boat owner.

Since his capture, Colton has spoken to several psychiatrists so as to have his mental state of mind for his court hearings. His request to learn how to fly has been denied and his time on the run was made into a 1.3 million dollar movie.

Hopefully Colton will take the opportunity to change his life around now that he has been caught. He is still young too, so I am really hoping he will take his aunt's offer of staying at her ranch once he is released from prison. Until then...

GO COLTON GO!!!!