'Barefoot Bandit' is finally run to earth after flying to the Bahamas

Colton Harris-Moore was finally arrested before dawn in the Bahamas, where authorities had been looking for the resourceful 19 year-old since he apparently crash-landed a stolen plane a week ago on Great Abaco Island, where he was blamed for a string of at least seven break-ins.

Authorities caught Harris-Moore as he attempted to dock a boat at Harbour Island, a small tourist destination. Soldiers with tracker dogs and police armed with shotguns had fanned out during the search for him.

Some of Abaco's 16,000 residents expressed the same admiration that Harris-Moore has won in corners of the United States during his two-year run from the law.

"I tip my hat to the fellow," said Clayton Sands, a 54-year-old Bahamian who, like nearly everyone else, has been following every twist in the case since police revealed he was thought to be among them. "For him to duck and dodge the police in two countries at 19, that's impressive."

Harris-Moore, who has been running from American law enforcement since escaping from a Washington state halfway house in 2008, gained fame and thousands of fans who admired his ability to evade arrest. He is suspected of stealing cars, boats and at least five planes - including the Cessna aircraft he allegedly took in Indiana and flew more than 1,000 miles to the islands off Florida's coast, despite a lack of formal flight training.

He is also a skilled outdoorsman who honed his abilities growing up in the woods of Puget Sound about 30 miles north of Seattle.

Police picked up his trail on the island of Eleuthera after recovering a 44-foot power boat stolen from a marina on Abaco, 40 miles to the north.

Ferry boat captain Freddie Grant said he was returning from Harbour Island on Wednesday evening when he saw a tall, white teenager bathing or swimming in an inlet near the ferry landing. Ferry service employee Stan Pennerman also said he saw Harris-Moore lurking in the woods the same day.

Neither man thought much of it until they noticed the next morning that somebody had damaged the ignition system on three of their boats.

Harris-Moore's mother, Pam Kohler, has said that he had a troubled childhood. His first conviction, for possession of stolen property, came at the age of 12. Within a few months of turning 13, he had three more.

But Kohler also has publicly defended her son, saying the allegations against him are exaggerated.

She has said she hoped he would flee to a country that doesn't have an extradition treaty with the United States.

Harris-Moore was sentenced to nearly four years in juvenile detention after being caught in an unoccupied home in 2007, but he did well enough there that he was transferred to a children's home, where he escaped out of a window more than two years ago.

He was dubbed the "Barefoot Bandit" for allegedly going shoeless during some crimes and once allegedly leaving behind chalk footprints as a calling card.

His legend has grown as supporters have bought "Run, Colton, Run" T-shirts and written songs about his exploits. He has tens of thousands of followers on Facebook.xz