Interrupted Redding burglary, baseball bat attack, land two in jail

REDDING, Calif., — Authorities say a couple who attacked an employee of a Redding storage facility with a baseball bat were later arrested after a keen-eyed officer spotted them leaving the area in a U-Haul vehicle Friday morning, Oct. 8.

The baseball bat attack happened after the 59-year-old employee interrupted the pair while they were burglarizing one of the storage units at the facility, according to officials.

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City of Redding police officers were dispatched to Westside Storage on the 7100 block of Pit Road shortly before 7:30 a.m. after receiving reports of an interrupted burglary and assault that had just occurred, Redding Police Sergeant Chris Mills later said of the incident and arrest.

Responding officers learned that the victim, who is employed by the owner of the storage facility, had noticed a suspicious vehicle inside the storage facility on video surveillance and saw two people acting suspiciously around one of the locked storage units.

Christina Burke (L), of Shasta Lake, and Jesse Talbot (R), of Redding, were arrested after being caught burglarizing a Redding storage unit and attacking an employee of the facility who attempted to make a citizen’s arrest of the couple. Redding PD photos

The victim responded to the location to investigate and observed the two subjects immediately try to hide inside one of the vacant storage units and saw them shut the door to the unit from the inside, according to Mills; who said, “As he approached the unit, both subjects ran out and became physically assaultive, striking (him) with a bag of items.”

When the victim attempted to make a citizen’s arrest of one of the subjects, since identified as Christina Marie Burke, 32, of Shasta Lake City, the second suspect, Jesse David Talbot, 32, of Redding, came up from behind and struck the employee in the back with a wooden baseball bat, the Sergeant explained.

After the bat attack, both Burke and Talbot fled the location in a U-Haul box truck.

Although the victim complained of pain to his back following the assault, he declined immediate medical attention.

An officer who was responding to the area to assist soon spotted a U-Haul box truck with two occupants that appeared to match the description provided by the victim. Officers stopped the vehicle and contacted Talbot driving and Burke as the passenger.

Talbot was found to be on Post Release Community Supervision (PRCS) probation, and driving on a suspended license. Burke was found to be in possession of drug paraphernalia and officers located suspected heroin inside the cab of the U-Haul.

The victim positively identified Burke and Talbot as the pair he had interrupted during the burglary and surveillance footage that captured the incident and showed the two inside the storage facility was later obtained as evidence.

Surveillance footage at Westside Storage captured a pair of would-be burglars who were interrupted after breaking into a locked storage unit at the facility. Redding PD photo

Officers followed up at the storage facility and found forced entry had been made into one of the units. Although officers made several attempts to contact the renter of the unit, they have not yet been able to confirm if any property was stolen and that part of their investigation is continuing.

Based on their investigation, officers arrested the couple and both were later booked into the Shasta County Jail in Redding.

Talbot was booked on suspicion of burglary, assault with a deadly weapon, possession of a controlled substance, driving on a suspended license, and violation of PRCS probation.

Burke was booked on suspicion of burglary, battery, possession of a controlled substance, and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Online jail records indicate both remain in custody with Burke being held in lieu of $10,000 bail or bond and Talbot being held without bail due to his probation violation.

Anyone with information regarding this investigation or who believes their rented storage unit was possibly broken into by the accused pair is encouraged to contact the Redding Police Department at (530) 225-4200. Callers can refer to incident file number 21R066119 and can remain anonymous.

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Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery, 50, moved in 2017 to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source (RCNS) and Shasta County News Source (SCNS).

Additionally, he writes or has written for several other news organizations; including Riverside County-based newspapers Valley News, Valley Chronicle, Anza Valley Outlook, and Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle; the Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County; and Mountain Echo in Shasta County. He is also a regular contributor to Thin Blue Line TV and Law Enforcement News Network and has had his stories featured on news stations throughout the Southern California and North State regions.

Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back, and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s accident.)

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations; including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center, and Lake Elsinore Station; along with other locations.

Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team, and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.

Trevor has been married for more than 30 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and his “fluid family” includes 13 children and 18 grandchildren.