Seattle: The 19-year-old `Barefoot Bandit`, whose alleged two-year string of thefts from Washington state to the Caribbean prompted movie and book offers, was indicted by a federal grand jury in Seattle.
Colton Harris-Moore was indicted on Wednesday on five counts, including interstate transportation of a stolen aircraft and being a fugitive in possession of a firearm, the US Attorney`s Office announced.
"The grand jury action today (Wednesday) is an important step in holding Colton Harris-Moore accountable for his criminal conduct," said US Attorney Jenny A Durkan.
Harris-Moore faces up to 10 years in prison each on four of the counts. He remains in a federal detention centre in Washington state and is scheduled to be arraigned on the indictment on November 18.
A message left with Harris-Moore`s attorney, John Henry Browne, was not immediately returned.
Harris-Moore, a self-taught pilot, is suspected in more than 80 crimes across nine states since authorities say he walked away from a halfway house in April 2008, many of them in Washington`s bucolic islands. He grew up in Camano Island, a quiet rural community in the Puget Sound north of Seattle.
Police dubbed Harris-Moore the `Barefoot Bandit` because investigators say they found footprints identified as his at several crime scenes.
The grand jury focused on four different incidents. In one, Harris-Moore is accused of stealing a Cessna from Idaho and flying it to Washington state in September 2009. He is also accused of stealing a boat from Washington and sailing it to Oregon in May of this year.
Prosecutors also say Harris-Moore stole a .32 calibre pistol in Canada and carried it to the United States.
PTI
