The 19-year old is someone’s child, though, and his mother Pamela Kohler hasn’t seen him in over two and a half years. “I miss him terribly,” she said in one of her few comments to the press. Her anguished face spoke volumes.
She went on to say that Colton is highly intelligent, harmless, and that she tried to talk him into turning himself in, “…because he's a kid and I'm a mother -- ya know, kids just don't listen to their mothers."
What pushed this obviously loved and resourceful teen from clever kid to international fugitive?
His mother offered some clues, saying he became “disconnected” from the outside world after losing his beloved stepfather shortly after his seventh birthday. (His birthfather left the family when Colton was two years old.) "I did my best with him, but he has a strong mind and, when he sets it to something, he does it.”
Convicted of theft when he was only twelve, Colton was charged with 23 felonies in his home county by the time he was 16. After teaching himself basic flying skills from manuals, he went on to commit some of the dramatic crimes that garnered him a Facebook following of more than 75,000, numerous fan clubs, and a popular t-shirt with his picture and the words “Momma Tried”.
Parents routinely struggle with the issue of how to make sure their active, intelligent children channel those energies productively.
Thrive Research believes that building a solid foundation of social and emotional learning gives every child their best chance for success. Extensive research at Stanford University's Behavioral Sciences Department and other Thrive partners shows that these skills can be taught and result in greater happiness and academic success for even the highest risk students.
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quotes courtesy of AOL News
photo courtesy of Facebook
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