ORCAS ISLAND, Wash. – An intense search Thursday for the notorious teen burglar known as the "Barefoot Bandit" has been scaled back.
However, San Juan County Sheriff Bill Cumming says the investigation into finding 18-year-old Colton Harris-Moore is continuing.
Among the crimes Harris-Moore is suspected of -- stealing a plane from the Boundary County airport in North Idaho and flying it to western Washington, where the plane made a hard landing in a remote area.
The latest search began at 1:15 a.m. in an isolated, rugged area on the west side of the island where only a few homes are located.
Multiple agencies converged on the area, conducting an extensive ground and air search of the area. Air space over the west side of Orcas Island was closed during the search. The 35 member search team included deputies from the San Juan County Sheriff's Office, Whatcom County and Snohomish County dog tracking teams, two tracking teams from the Marysville Police Department, FBI personnel and air support from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Service.
The intensified search was officially scaled down at 3 p.m.
Cumming did not disclose what led authorities to believe Moore was on the island, nor would he say if any new crimes had been committed.
Harris-Moore was first convicted at age 12 and is suspected in nearly 50 cases of home burglaries and car thefts since he snuck out the window of a halfway house in April 2008. Footprints are often left at the burglary sites, leading some to call Harris-Moore the "Barefoot Bandit."
Authorities also allege he may have stolen three small aircraft. Most recently, investigators believe he stole a plane from Anacortes and piloted it to Orcas Island on Feb. 10. Each time, Harris-Moore managed to elude police.
Harris-Moore's mother Pamela Kohler says her son "thinks he's James Bond" right now. "I don't think he truly knows all that's going on to try to catch him," she said.
Harris-Moore gained more notoriety after Time Magazine featured a photo of him last December. The online version of the magazine called him "America's Most Wanted Teenage Bandit," much to the disgust of his victims. Some people view the teenage fugitive as a type of modern-day Robin Hood, sparking t-shirts, Web sites, blogs and fan clubs idolizing Colton - something that angers many people.
