Burglar Grabs An Armful Of Right-Foot Sneakers

The latest burglary at Clean Soles shoe shop in Roanoke, Va., happened around 4:20 a.m. last Saturday.

"It almost looked normal except for some shoes missing off the counter and shelf," Rob Wickham, a 21-year-old employee, told NPR.

The shop, which opened in 2016, lost about eight shoes that were on display — all of them for the right foot.

The Roanoke County Police Department released a video of the thief, who wore a ski mask and camouflage pants and carried a backpack. In the footage, he takes some of the Jordan shoes on display. But only the right sides were out — their left counterparts were stowed away.

Roanoke County Police Department YouTube

"What was the point of grabbing one shoe off the shelf?" Wickham said.

The Roanoke Times weighed in: "The nighttime burglars who triggered the alarm at Clean Soles on Williamson Road could have been grabbing too fast to notice. Or maybe this is just another stupid criminal story."

The incident followed an earlier break-in at the store in July, Wickham told the newspaper. Those robbers also stole several right-foot shoes.

Police charged a 17-year-old with that crime.

Roanoke County police spokeswoman Amy Whittaker told NPR that the August intruder remains at large.