CAMANO ISLAND, Wash. -- The mother of an elusive teenage bandit says an Everett bounty hunter's efforts to find her son are nothing more than a publicity stunt.
Pam Kohler, the mother of Colton Harris-Moore, told The Herald of Everett on Wednesday that she twice met with bounty hunter Mike Rocha, and said she wouldn't cooperate with him even if she knew where her son was.
He's only doing it for publicity for his companies, Kohler said.
Harris-Moore, 19, has been on the run since he escaped from a Renton group home in April 2008. He has been suspected of breaking into homes and business in five Washington counties, British Columbia and Idaho. Police also believe he's taken four planes, luxury cars and power boats.
Rocha, owner of Bail Enforcement Agency, addressed a crowd of about 200 people Tuesday night at a school gymnasium on Camano Island, where Harris-Moore grew up. He said he hopes to persuade the teen to surrender voluntarily, but otherwise, we need to find him.
Rocha told the crowd he has nearly three decades of criminal-justice experience. Working with All City Bail Bonds of Seattle, Rocha said he gave $2,500 to a private reward fund for information leading to Harris-Moore's capture.
According to local businessman Josh Flickner, that reward fund now totals around $6,500.
Island County Sheriff Mark Brown said last week that his office cannot promote or participate in this as a solution to the problem, a sentiment echoed by some at the public forum Tuesday who compared Rocha to a vigilante.
How many more experts do we need? Camano Island resident Bec Thomas asked. I'm worried about strangers, especially armed strangers.
Elizabeth Sounder disagreed, saying Harris-Moore has been loose too long and caused too much heartache.
One man said he'd like to see Harris-Moore dead. He was booed.
Some people spoke compassionately about the teenager, urging him to surrender.
J.P. DeBoer, a realtor on Camano, said the attention given to Harris-Moore's case doesn't exactly sell vacation homes. DeBoer said he spends a lot more time now talking with homebuyers about security systems.
John Gray, a former police chief in Arlington who now consults with police and teaches criminal justice at Northwestern University, said bail bondsmen can be another set of eyes and ears for law enforcement, but they're not substitutes.
They have the best professional practices, the resources and have a stake at continuing to earn the public's trust in keeping the community safe, he said.
