SEATTLE — Colton Harris-Moore, the teenage "Barefoot Bandit" who was the subject of a two-year manhunt, pleaded not guilty Thursday morning to five federal charges in U.S. District Court in Seattle.
Magistrate Judge Mary Alice Theiler scheduled Harris-Moore's trial for Jan. 18 before U.S. District Judge Richard A. Jones.
Afterward, Harris-Moore's attorney, John Henry Browne, said he hopes a plea deal can be struck that would limit the 19-year-old's time behind bars. He suggested that Harris-Moore's family might be interested in selling his story and using the proceeds to pay restitution to the dozens of victims.
Harris-Moore is suspected of dozens of burglaries and a string of thefts of autos, boats and five airplanes in several Washington counties as well as Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois and Indiana. He was indicted last week on five criminal counts, four of which are punishable by up to 10 years in prison and fines of up to $250,000.
The gangly Harris-Moore, dressed in an orange Federal Detention Center jumpsuit and flanked by Browne, mostly stared at the table in front of him while Assistant U.S. Attorney Darwin Roberts read the charges:
_ Interstate transportation of a stolen aircraft, stemming from the Sept. 29, 2009, theft of a Cessna from Bonners Ferry, Idaho. The plane was abandoned near Granite Falls.
_ Interstate and foreign transportation of a stolen firearm, stemming from the theft of a .32-caliber pistol in Canada. Harris-Moore is accused of taking the handgun into Idaho, and then on the plane he flew to Granite Falls.
_ Fugitive in possession of a firearm, after Harris-Moore allegedly carried a Jennings .22-caliber pistol between Oct. 1, 2009, and May 6.
_ Piloting an aircraft without a valid airman's certificate, stemming from his alleged theft of an airplane from Anacortes, which was flown to Eastsound, Orcas Island, on Feb. 10, 2010. The charge is punishable by up to three years in prison.
_ Interstate transportation of a stolen vessel, involving the theft of a 34-foot boat from Ilwaco, which was sailed to Oregon on May 31.
Harris-Moore, who was apprehended in the Bahamas, spoke only twice during the hearing: Once in response when asked to confirm his identity, and again to to say "yes" when asked if he understood the charges against him. There was no discussion about releasing him from detention.
Read the full story at the Seattle Times.
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