Colton Harris Moore, the Camano Island, Washington native who has been evading authorities since leaving a halfway house in 2008, was raised by an obviously dysfunctional single mother, who is proud of her son for his criminal exploits. First arrested at the age of 12, Moore eventually became quite a prolific thief, burglarizing homes and stealing vehicles and boats in the islands of Puget Sound. It is therefore little wonder that he has apparently chosen to fly a stolen plane to the Bahamas, which although tropical, would be a familiar environment for the Island County resident.

What is remarkable about Moore is that he has taught himself to fly (but not land, it seems) simply by using instructional books and videos, and has a knack for breaking into secure airports and marinas. However, as someone who grew up with some association with the kind of people who tend to live on the waterfront and own powerboats and airplanes in the greater Seattle area, I know that it isn’t all that difficult to penetrate their security. Actually, what protects them more than anything else is the exclusivity of their lifestyle, which prevents most others from even imagining that all these toys are simply there for the taking, which they are. Additionally, your common criminal would have some serious difficulty operating a Bayliner, not to mention piloting aircraft.

I’d assume that Colton Harris Moore grew up around a number of these wealthier kids, and was only distinguished by being poor and having a particularly lousy mother. Unfortunately for Colton, that distinction might have meant the difference between becoming a respectable citizen and becoming a wanted man. Maybe he is a born criminal, but that doesn’t appear to stop certain people having phenomenal success in business. From a young age, Colton probably saw all the toys the wealthier folks around him had, and figured he’d partake. I knew some rich kids who behaved like criminals at that crucial age right around puberty, but their families had the means to steer them away from that. With a mother like he had, Colton did not have that luxury.

Here are a few things Pam Kohler, Colton’s mother, has had to say about her son’s crime spree:

“When the cops come and bother me that’s when I think ‘run Colton run, fly Colton fly.’ I’m proud that he taught hisself how to fly.”

“I just want to hug him, I’m proud that he can fly planes with no lessons. You’re damn right I am.”

“If anyone profits from this thing it should be me and Colt.” (She intends to hire an “entertainment lawyer”)

What a wonderful example she must have set for her son all these years. Maybe the teenaged Colton, now on the other side of the continent, can finally take some time to reflect on how he ended up a wanted man with an FBI reward on his head.