Bob Friel - The Barefoot Bandit

Sandi, Murphy, and I remain perched on Raven Ridge, our mossy little patch of Northwest paradise. I think of Colt every night as I go around and check the cabin doors. It’s not a happy chore. Ironically, Colt says he chose to come to Orcas Island mainly for the same reason we did: because it’s such a peaceful, beautiful place. Colt even says he spent most of his time here in Deer Harbor, but says that while he did see me a number of times, he was not the one we heard under the cabin. Murphy, for one, is not convinced.

After piecing together what I know of Colt’s entire life, though, there’s no anger, just frustration and sadness. I feel both for the victims that are still affected, and also for Colt due to the past events that were out of his control coupled with his own bad choices that will result in him spending years behind bars. But I also have hope for his future.

I realize now that Colt’s big smiles in the Bahamas were also a sign of his remarkable resiliency. Colt appears to have sloughed off his negative identity as an alienated bad boy and now sees himself as a student. It’s certainly better that his energies go toward planning for college instead of plotting helicopter attacks on Costco.

Colt reached out through a friend to say that although he doesn’t like the idea of the book and movie about him because he thinks it will make it harder to eventually melt into anonymity and live that “normal” life he so craves, he doesn’t hold it against me. He also said that he hopes we can go kayaking or hiking on Turtleback Mountain together when he gets out.

I look forward to that. Though I’m glad he didn’t ask me to go flying.

Other than the parts of this story that I personally witnessed, this book is based on reporting in the form of hundreds of interviews and reviewing reams of legal documents. It would be a much poorer telling if I did not have the generous help and cooperation of so many sources whose personal stories brought this tale to life. A number of people I spoke with requested anonymity and thus unfortunately can’t be thanked here by name. Some were afraid of losing their jobs; others were concerned for their personal safety. I also disguised the names of several crime victims who requested I do so for privacy reasons. In every use of an anonymous source, I checked details against police and court records as well as secondary sources wherever possible.

To set the scene on Camano Island and to recreate Colt’s early life, I relied on interviews with: Bev and Geof Davis; Bill, Doreen, and Megan Wagner; Pam Kohler; Jack “Skeeter Daddle” Archibald and his wife, author Karen Prasse; Josh Flickner; Joel Bradfield; Bonnie Bryand and her son, Kory; Harley Davidson Ironwing; Anne Pitser; Jim Pettyjohn; Helen Owens; Kara Weber; Shannon Kirby; Maxine Kostelyk; Christa Postma; Carol Star; Josh Richardson; Mike Bulmer; Patty Morgan; Brandi Blackford; Leslie Hawthorne; Glen Kramer; and Jacquie Staggs.

Early on in my research, I got a call from what I thought was the ghost of Walter Brennan. It turned out to be a man named Pete Poeschel. Pete’s call led to a mysterious mainland meeting where he introduced me to an important source. Thanks, Pete, you’ve got a good heart and a great laugh. Thanks, too, to Donna Poeschel.

I received terrific support from my friends and neighbors on beautiful Orcas Island. The one upside to having the crime wave hit here is that I got to meet even more of the nice folks who call Orcas home. Special thanks to those who contributed their personal stories and expertise: Bob Rivers; Kyle Ater and Cedra Gutschmidt; Belinda Landon and Marion Rathbone; Teri Williams and Jay Fowler; Jack Cadden; Jeremy Trumble; Ryan Carpenter; Cory Wiscomb and his 2010 senior class at Orcas High—Go Vikings!; flyboys Bill Anders, Eric Gourley, Grant Schumaker, and Geoff Schussler; flygirl Bea Von Tobel; John Gorton; Jason Linnes; Jay Longfellow; Rosemary Hennessy and Fred Vinson; Maggie Vinson; Henry and Donna McNeil; Mike and Matt Stohlmeir; Dick Greaves; Babs Briggs; Colleen Armstrong; Kevin and Carol McCoy; Mark Morris and the Orcas Craic’ers; Scott Lancaster; and Suzanne Lyons. Over on Lopez Island, thanks to Kim and Michelle Smith, and Stephanie Dallas and Krista Mann.

Current and former law enforcement officers and prosecutors from more than a dozen local, state, federal, and international departments and agencies contributed to this book—some willingly and graciously, others through the Freedom of Information Act. Thanks to Island County Sheriff’s Office detective Ed Wallace, former ICSO lieutenant Chris Ellis, and Island County prosecutor Greg Banks. In San Juan County, thanks to former sheriff Bill Cumming, current sheriff Rob Nou, county prosecutor Randy Gaylord, and public records officer Stan Matthews. Ray Clever, Stu Smith, and Frank Friel are ex-cops with more stories between them than the Library of Congress, and each served as a great resource. Thanks also to Hancock County, Illinois, sheriff John Jefferson; Warrenton, Oregon, police chief Mathew Workman; Clackamas County, Oregon, detective Jim Slovnik; the Royal Bahamian Police Force’s chief inspector Roston Moss and sergeant Chrislyn Skippings; and FBI special agent Linwood Smith.

On the other side of the law-and-order ledger: Thanks to defense attorney John Henry Brown, private eye Shauna Snyder, defense attorney Rachel Miyoshi, and attorney Jim Johansen.

I was able to detail Colt’s cross-country run only with the help of: Kelly Kneifl, Jim McLaughlin, Brad Hernke, Pat Gardiner, Homer Woolslayer, Larry Johnson, Shane Vande Vort, Graham Goad, Alan Daniels, Gary Taylor, Mike Vadeboncoeur, Rachel Tiede, John “Spider” Miller, Mary Beaird, Tom Francis, Steve Black, Michael Isaacs, Bruce Payton, Gary Carlson, Ray Jilek, Rich Rasmussen, and Mike Rocha.

Out of my many, many trips to the Bahamas over the last thirty years, following Colt there was one of the strangest. All t’anks to Petagay Hartman for playing Nancy Drew to my Scooby Doo, and for providing a soft couch and fresh mangoes. Thanks also to Kenny Strachan, Mauris Jonassaint, Denaldo Bain, Tim Roberts, Johnny Roberts and Nippers, George “Barefoot Man” Nowak, Kay Politano, Ruthie Key, Alistair Macdonald, and Ricky Ricardo.

A select group of world-class experts generously offered their time and vast knowledge to educate me on a range of topics from childhood development to the juvenile justice system to the psychological underpinnings of our fascination with outlaws. Thanks to judge Bobbe Bridge, who’s doing amazing, important work at her Center for Children and Youth Justice; Dr. Delton Young; Dr. Eric Trupin; Dr. Edwin Camiel; Sandi Burt; Dr. Rayner Hernit; and professor Graham Seal.

Amid the often competitive and insecure world of journalism, I warmly appreciate the professional courtesy of CBS producer Paul LaRosa for some significant shares, and the Seattle Times ’ Jennifer Sullivan for a timely phone number.

Author and friend Nikki Jefford was an immense help on this book. While serving as research assistant, she made hundreds of calls to charm interviews and documents out of sources all across the country. Several times she and Seb also talked me into eating food that for some strange reason didn’t include meat.

Author and old friend Janet Bohac waded through a very early, very long draft of the manuscript and kindly didn’t tell me I should go back to feeding sharks. Her check marks and “You’re losing me!” notes were a great help in refining the story’s pacing.

Aloha and thanks to Bill and Rita Quinlan. Thank you Lance Black, Matt Reilly, and Rich Green.

A major thank-you to the whole team at Outside , especially Mary Turner and Chris Keyes, who were adventurous enough to recognize the importance of this story way before it made headlines.