Feral Island Teens

(Photo from the Seattle Times)

I'm usually not really that big on 'true crime' kind of crap, but there's something really intriguing about this story from the Seattle Times this morning, about 17 year old "Feral Teen" Colton Harris-Moore who's been living on Camano Island near Seattle and robbing from its wealthy residents for 11 years. Apparently he camps in the woods and robs from the rich to support his existence, have fun and give to friends. Kids these days.

From the Times Story, by Jennifer Sullivan:

CAMANO ISLAND — Whether it's locals gossiping over coffee at the Elger Bay Café, fishermen picking up bait at the country store or snowbirds lounging in their luxurious summer homes, one 17-year-old boy is the talk of the island.

And depending on who's talking, Colton Harris-Moore — a ninth-grade dropout believed to be responsible for scores of burglaries on the island over the past 11 years — is alternately described as a calculating criminal, master survivalist or modern-day Robin Hood.

But Island County Sheriff Mark Brown has a one-word description for Harris-Moore: "Wanted."

It seems everyone on this 40-square-mile island nestled between Whidbey Island and North Snohomish County has an opinion of the teenage fugitive and what should be done with him. Some believe he's a product of a troubled childhood and deserves sympathy and psychiatric care, while others say he's an opportunistic burglar who deserves to be greeted with gunfire...

The teen's alleged recent burglary spree, which Brown says involves identity theft, stealing credit cards and cars and taking up residence in empty homes, has forced many of Camano Island's more than 17,000 summertime residents out of their rural comfort and to do something they never thought they had to — lock their front doors.

There's something that makes you want to root for a kid like that.