JESSE JAMES OF PUGET SOUND

America has always had a love affair with outlaws. Jesse James, Billy the Kid, John Dillinger, Pretty Boy Floyd, Bonnie and Clyde, and Willie Sutton among others all became folk heroes, although they were not Robin Hoods stealing from the rich to give to the poor. In the N.Y.-N.J. area, even the Gallo brothers (in their war with the Profaci family) and John Gotti became folk heroes. Now we have 19-year-old Colton Harris-Moore, known to his fans as the ‘All-American Outlaw’, ‘The Barefoot Burglar’ and ‘The Jesse James of Puget Sound’.

Since he escaped from a halfway house in April 2008, Harris-Moore has been sought in scores of burglaries around the Puget Sound area of Washington and beyond. He must have taught himself to fly because evidence links him to the theft of four small planes, all of which crashed upon landing. (His mother told an interviewer that she was proud of Colton for flying the planes.) Police suspect he’s also stolen boats and luxury cars, and broken into dozens of homes and businesses, including several on Orcas Island. His total haul may top $1.5 million, officials say.

Harris-Moore has his own fan club with this description on Facebook: “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 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!”

So far, Harris-Moore has garnered over 20,000 fans on Facebook. But don’t count the cops among his many fans. Colton has eluded capture despite several intense manhunts by local police, by the Washington State Police and by the FBI. He is believed to have fired a shot at a deputy sheriff while fleeing from the law.

The Jesse James of Puget Sound first came to the attention of the police when at the age of 8 he was accused of stealing a bike. Since then, he is suspected of having committed nearly 100 burglaries in Washington, Idaho and Canada.

Does the saga of the Barefoot Burglar - bare footprints have been found at the crime scenes - look like a movie waiting to happen? Yes, a movie on the life of Colton Harris-Moore will soon be in the works. 20th Century Fox has bought the film rights to the book "Taking Flight: The Hunt for a Young Outlaw."