'Barefoot bandit' sentenced to 7 years

COUPEVILLE, Wash. -- Colton Harris-Moore, the "Barefoot Bandit," was sentenced Friday to more than 7 years in prison after pleading guilty to dozens of state charges.

Harris-Moore, 20, gained fame while evading police across the country in stolen planes, boats and cars during a two-year crime spree.

Judge Vickie Churchill said, "This case is a tragedy in many ways, but it's a triumph of the human spirit in other ways." She described Harris-Moore's upbringing as a "mind numbing absence of hope," and believed he was remorseful and contrite.

The prosecutor called him "a menace." Charges included identity theft, theft of firearm and residential burglary.

Harris-Moore has already pleaded guilty to federal charges in Seattle and will be sentenced for those crimes next year.

He said he studied manuals and online videos to teach himself to be a pilot, and the thrills he experienced while flying stolen planes renewed his passion for life and will help him rehabilitate while in prison.

Harris-Moore's run from the law earned him international fame after he flew a stolen plane from Indiana to the Bahamas in July 2010, crash-landed it near a mangrove swamp and was arrested by authorities.-- AP