Seattle lawyer may represent 'Barefoot Bandit'

A Seattle lawyer who has been contacted by the mother of Colton Harris-Moore said Monday that he hopes criminal charges against the 19-year-old who was captured in the Bahamas are consolidated in federal court in Seattle.

A consolidation from various jurisdictions for Harris-Moore, the so-called "Barefoot Bandit," "makes the most sense" and would be "better for everybody," attorney John Henry Browne told KIRO-TV.

U.S. officials in the Bahamas checked on Harris-Moore on Sunday and found him physically fine but depressed at his capture, Browne said. He also said Harris-Moore had called an aunt, but not his mother who lives on Camano Island, about 40 miles north of Seattle.

The mother, Pam Kohler, contacted him about representing her son but he has not yet been retained, Browne said.

It's possible Harris-Moore could stand trial in jurisdictions from Western Washington, the Midwest and the Bahamas, Browne said, but he said charges should be consolidated.

"It seems to me it would make a lot of sense to get him from Bahamas to Seattle and get other jurisdictions to allow Seattle federal court to handle the matter," Browne said. "The best thing would be to get it to Seattle - better for everybody."

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Information from: KIRO-TV, http://www.kirotv.com/index.html