Fugitive teen bandit Colton Harris-Moore has 2,600 Facebook fans

Colton Harris-Moore- also called “Colt”- is known as the “Barefoot Burglar” because he tends to go pillaging shoeless.

Colt’s been breaking into vacation homes and watercraft for years, and recently moved up to plane theft. Harris-Moore is 18, but he’s been tangling with the police since he was 12. He’s currently wanted for stealing and crashing some small planes (he taught himself to fly via manuals and simulators), as well as dozens of burglaries in Washington state.

But where are the parents? Harris-Moore’s mother spoke to press about her son’s crimes:

“I hope to hell he stole those airplanes- I would be so proud,” Pam Kohler told a reporter, noting her son’s lack of training. “But put in there that I want him to wear a parachute next time.”

Kohler isn’t Colt’s only fan- a Facebook group has emerged, with nearly 2,600 fans as members and this description:

Colton Harris-Moore is Western Washington’s new Jesse James (without the murders). Without a doubt one of the greatest and most notable outlaws to come from an otherwise shitty, boring area. Some of his greatest achievements include the Kamikaze theft and crash landing of 3 airplanes (with no flight training) as well as commandeering a couple boats. Let’s hope that he remains healthy, free and at large for a long time! Fly Colton, Fly!

Furthering his folk hero status, police say his thefts center largely around survival tools. And while authorities are confident Colt’s 18 month long crime spree will come to an end, his mother has high hopes for his future:

Kohler hopes her son makes his way to a country that won’t extradite him. She said she sometimes talks to him on the phone, but she won’t let on if she knows where he is.

“I figure I’ll spend my time with him in a positive way,” she said, “because who knows if he’ll be shot tomorrow?”