SPOKANE VALLEY, Wash. — A man was arrested after being caught in the act stealing a pair of shoes from Ross in Spokane Valley on Thursday.
According to the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office, 44-year-old Joel S. Walker was inside the store around 12:30 a.m. Thursday. He broke a window to get in and using the phone near the checkout counter when deputies arrived.
Walker saw the deputy, walked over to the window he originally broke to get in and climbed out. The sheriff’s office said Walker followed deputy commands and was detained without incident.
Walker admitted to breaking the store window because he needed shoes. He said he could not wait until the store opened because he heard a “hazmat alarm in the city.”
SCSO said Walker was wearing a new pair of shoes with the security tag still attacked. Deputies collected Walker’s old shoes from inside the store and returned the stolen shoes to Ross.
Employees at Ross said it will cost about $1,000 to repair the broken window.
Walker was booked into Spokane County Jail for burglary, malicious mischief and theft.
He was later released on his own recognizance.
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