Man arrested in theft of 12 right-foot shoes in Redding

A Redding man was arrested Thursday morning after 12 right-foot shoes worth thousands were stolen from a store earlier this week.

Matthew Watson, 29, was arrested on suspicion of breaking into Redwood Sole in Redding and taking only half of 12 pairs of shoes, according to a news release issued by the Redding Police Department.

Early Tuesday morning, Redwood Sole sent out a burglary alarm to law enforcement and the owner reported the theft of several shoes, according the release.

Police officers discovered that the thief had stolen only the right-foot shoes of 12 separate pairs, which were estimated at about $2,400 total, according to the release.

Around 4:40 a.m. Thursday, police received a call from the owner of Redwood Sole, saying that the store was being broken into as he watched remote surveillance footage, according to the release.

An officer arrived and spotted Watson tampering with the lock on the store’s front door before fleeing on a bicycle, according to the release.

Watson was apprehended and booked into the Shasta County Jail. He had been on post-release supervision for a previous conviction of assault with a deadly weapon and was found to be in possession of burglary tools and a methamphetamine pipe, according to the release.

Officers conducted a search of Watson’s residence and discovered the right-foot shoes, which were returned to Redwood Sole, according to the release.

This story was originally published December 21, 2018 at 7:19 AM.