The Airplane Thief

Outside magazine has a mesmerizing piece about Colton Harris-Moore, the celebrated teen fugitive suspected of (deep breath) stealing and crashing a couple of private airplanes; burglarizing countless Pacific Northwest homes; lifting food and various curios; and breaking out of juvenile lock-up. That bill of charges has gained Colt a Facebook worship site and a shaggy teen fan club. But writer Bob Friel, who lives on an island in Washington State near where Colt grew up, brings a sobriety to the story. Friel knows the terrain and just how touchy the locals are about the alleged flyboy, especially when any one of them may be his next victim. “I feel sorry for Colt,” Friel writes. “And then I lock my door.”