Bizarre Shoe Bandit Caught in the Act, Police Say

Like the elves in the tale of the shoemaker, a 56-year-old Largo man is accused of sneaking up to a Pinellas Park home in the middle of the night to address footwear-related issues.

Unlike those elves, however, what the man is accused of doing is considered burglary, according to the Pinellas Park Police Department.

The unusual case began to unfold a few days ago when a woman who lives in the 8000 block of 43rd Way North noticed that someone was stealing shoes left outside her home. Rather than just take the shoes and run, the suspect in this case left behind another pair in their place.

“The repeat incidents caused so much concern for the residents that they purchased a surveillance system to monitor the front door and exterior of their home,” an email to media from the police department stated

That purchased paid off when the video revealed the man would show up around 4 a.m. to take the shoes, the email stated.

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Seeing the pattern, the family decided to wait up Saturday morning to catch the man in the act. When they did, the department reported, they detained the suspect until police arrived.

Rusty Wayne Sills was charged with burglary, the department reported, and is believed to be connected to several other similar cases in the area. During an interview with police, Sills told officers he buys and sells women’s shoes at a local flea market. Inside his car, they found about 100 pairs of women’s shoes.

While Sills’ denied ever being at the Pinellas Park woman’s home, police say he was caught on the surveillance video and did have possession of the shoes the woman reported stolen on March 12.

Sills was being held in the Pinellas County Jail Sunday in lieu of $10,000 bond.

Photo courtesy of the Pinellas County Jail

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