Chameleon – "The Barefoot Bandit: Catch Him If You Can"

Podcast: Chameleon
Host: Josh Dean, with guest journalist Jackson Holtz
Date: December 4, 2025
Episode Theme:
An in-depth look at the remarkable, stranger-than-fiction saga of Colton Harris-Moore—better known as the “Barefoot Bandit”—whose notorious crime spree made him America’s first folk hero of the social media age. The episode explores his troubled upbringing, audacious exploits, how he evaded law enforcement for years, his explosive rise to fame online, and his life after incarceration.

Main Topics and Key Discussion Points

1. Origins: A Press Release Sets the Story in Motion (01:39–02:46)

• In 2007, crime reporter Jackson Holtz receives a peculiar old-fashioned wanted poster for two teenage burglary suspects, Colton Harris-Moore and his friend Harley Davidson Iron Wing.
• Both teens lived out of the woods, breaking into vacation homes for food and supplies.

Quote:
“His famous trait was that he was known to run barefoot off into the woods.”
—Jackson Holtz (03:02)

2. Colton’s Early Life and the Beginnings of His Crime Spree (06:01–07:33)

• Colton grows up in poverty and instability on Camano Island, Washington; his father abandons him, and his mother struggles to provide.
• He starts stealing to survive, breaking into garages for food before escalating to electronics and credit cards.
• Demonstrates early cunning, using stolen goods to fund further exploits, and even uses bear spray to avoid arrest.

Quote:
“To have to resort to breaking into your neighbor's garages to steal frozen dinners—that’s just not how kids should grow up.”
—Jackson Holtz (06:49)

3. First Arrest, Escape, and Escalation (07:43–09:00)

• At 16, Colton is convicted and sent to juvenile detention, then a halfway house; he escapes out a window at night (April 2008).
• Returns to burglaries, grows more daring, and his local notoriety builds.
• The turning point: police suspect him in two separate airplane thefts—crimes that will shape his legend.

4. The Flight Path: Plane Theft and Becoming the Barefoot Bandit (09:00–13:02)

• Without formal training, Colton steals his first plane, taking off from Orcas Island and crash-landing 300 miles away on the Yakima Indian Reservation.
• Over the next year, he steals and crashes four more planes, expertly evading police.
• His mother, when asked by reporters, fans the folklore by saying she wishes she'd sent him to flight school.

Quote:
“If you’re gonna steal airplanes, steal twin engines, because that way if one engine fails, you’ll still have another.”
—Paraphrased from Colton’s mother, Pam Kohler (11:49)

5. Internet Fame: The First Outlaw of the Social Media Age (14:30–16:26)

• National attention grows as the Associated Press dubs him “The Barefoot Bandit.”
• Colton’s story explodes online: 60,000+ join his fan group, t-shirts and folk songs proliferate, and major media begin global coverage.
• Part of the legend: chalk-drawn barefoot prints at crime scenes with taunting messages (“cya, see you later”).

Quote:
“There’s now a Facebook page following Colton Harris Moore and his exploits. … This is really the first outlaw of the social media age.”
—Jackson Holtz (14:57)

6. The Manhunt Intensifies and the Folk Hero Persona Grows (13:02–17:57)

• Pursued by SWAT and bounty hunters as his escapades cross state lines.
• Despite the attention, he repeatedly outsmarts police, drawing increased resources and concern.

—Memorable gesture: leaves $100 and a handwritten note at a vet clinic for animal care.
“Drove by, had some extra cash. Please use this money for the care of animals. Signed Colton Harris Moore, AKA the Barefoot Bandit.” (17:37)

7. Cross-Country Chase, Fifth Plane Theft, and the Bahamas Finale (18:30–21:26)

• The FBI offers a $10,000 reward; Colton’s crime spree becomes a breadcrumb trail across multiple states.
• Steals a high-end Cessna in Indiana and flies over 1,000 miles to the Bahamas, crash-landing in swampland but surviving—his fifth plane crash.
• The Bahamian police catch him after a dramatic boat chase involving gunfire.

Quote:
“Police fired on his boat, disabling one engine with a shotgun, the other with an Uzi. By 3:15 Sunday morning, he was taken off that bullet-ridden boat and into custody.”
—Summary of ABC News report, paraphrased by Josh Dean (21:06)

8. Sentencing, Aftermath, and Cultural Impact (24:12–30:39)

• Judge Vicki Churchill calls Colton’s case both a tragedy and “a triumph of the human spirit” (24:12).
• While incarcerated, Colton attempts to set up a crowdfunding campaign for cryogenic preservation of his dying mother—demonstrating both his devotion and his idiosyncrasy.
• Upon release, he distances himself from his old identity and strives for a new start, seeking to pay restitution and earn money through motivational speaking.
• Expresses regret, wanting to shed the “Barefoot Bandit” label.

Quote:
“My name’s Colton Harris Moore, and I think that the past is the past. That’s the most important message I have. You make mistakes, you live, you learn, and you move on.”
—Colton Harris Moore (28:50)

Quote:
“I witnessed… the creation of an American outlaw folk hero. And he was the first outlaw of the social media age.”
—Jackson Holtz (29:22)

Notable & Memorable Moments

• First Arrest Surrender: Colton only gives up to police when allowed to talk to his mother (04:04).
• Folk Hero Status: The chalk footprints at the food co-op—“cya, see you later”—cementing his legend (14:04).
• International Chase: Flying unschooled from Indiana to the Bahamas (19:40–20:10).
• Final Message: Colton pushes back on the “Barefoot Bandit” moniker, yearning for a future beyond teenage infamy (28:50).

Takeaways & Reflections

• Colton Harris-Moore’s story is a collision of poverty, frustration, ingenuity, and the amplification of media—particularly social media—in shaping the myth of a criminal outlaw.
• The episode reflects on Colton’s troubled upbringing, his unusual skills and daring escapes, his cult-like internet fame, and his later efforts to build a new, more positive adult identity.
• The creators acknowledge the very real tragedies behind the legend, while marveling at the sheer audacity and luck that let Colton—against all odds—survive.

Key Timestamps

• 01:39 – The original wanted poster and Camano Island setting
• 03:02 – “He was known to run barefoot off into the woods.”
• 06:01 – Colton’s early life and first forays into crime
• 09:00 – The first airplane theft
• 11:49 – “If you’re gonna steal airplanes, steal twin engines…”
• 14:04 – “Cya, see you later”—the chalk footprints
• 14:57 – Explosion of online fame and Facebook fan pages
• 17:37 – The note left at the vet clinic
• 19:40 – The Bahamas flight and crash
• 21:06 – Capture in the Bahamas, ABC News summary
• 24:12 – Sentencing and Judge Churchill’s reflections
• 28:50 – Colton on letting go of the past

Chameleon's retelling captures the legend and the humanity in one of the most improbable American crime stories of the 21st century—a young man fleeing into the woods barefoot, into the sky without lessons, and eventually into international notoriety, all while unwittingly shaping the way an internet-fueled culture turns outlaws into folk heroes.