By ABC News Dec 17, 2011 11:20am ‘Barefoot Bandit’ Colton Harris-Moore Gets More than 7 Years for Crime Spree
ABC News’ Katti Gray reports:
“Barefoot Bandit” Colton Harris-Moore was sentenced to more than seven years in prison this week on 33 charges related to stolen planes, boats, cars, weapons and other items.
Harris-Moore, 20, who repeatedly eluded police until he was finally caught in the Bahamas in July 2010, was sentenced on Friday.
Harris-Moore’s lifestyle of crash-landing other folks’ airplanes brought him international notoriety and even the attention of Hollywood.
The movie rights about Harris-Moore’s life were sold to Fox and Dustin Lance Black, who won an Oscar for “Milk,” is writing the screenplay, according to The Associated Press.
The terms of Harris-Moore’s plea-bargain prevents him from directly profiting from the upcoming film.
Instead, his share will go to his victims, which is partly why Judge Vickie Churchill didn’t sentence him to the 10 years prosecutors sought.
“I will impose the lower end of the standard,” Churchill said.
She also cited what she described as his remorse, and a childhood that his attorneys said was marred by abuse, including prenatal alcohol syndrome and his mother allegedly telling him she wished he’d been born dead.
However, Harris-Moore’s victims were not so forgiving.
“A lot of us had bad childhoods, right? And we didn’t turn into criminals over it,” said Lori Free, one in a flurry of victims spread across three Washington counties and into Canada.
“These people that think he’s a hero, they’ve obviously never been violated by something like this,” said victim Robert Gleyre, who said his wife feels unsafe since Harris-Moore broke into their home and stole a handgun and other items.
Harris-Moore returns to court in January to face federal charges related to his crimes.
ABC News Seattle Affiliate KOMO reporter Michelle Esteban and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
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