Police: Serial sock thief strikes again

BELLEVILLE , Ill., July 9 (UPI) -- Police in Belleville, Ill., said a man who was jailed several times for stealing women's socks has been arrested again and charged with a similar crime.

Investigators said James Dowdy, who gained infamy for serving multiple jail sentences since 1993 for stealing socks, was charged with a felony count of residential burglary after he allegedly entered a basement through a window and stole a pair of socks, the Belleville News-Democrat reported Wednesday.

The victim phoned police at about 2:45 a.m. Monday to report that his daughter had told him she heard noises coming from the basement and when he looked outside he saw a man exiting his home though a basement window.

Police dogs led officers to Dowdy's residence, where they found the victim's missing socks.

Dowdy was being held in St. Clair County Jail. Bail was set at $100,000.